Amber's Adventure
by TenakuMihara
Summary: Amber grew up obsessed with one thing: Pokemon. When she finally gets the chance to go on an adventure, what will she encounter? How will she fare in the wide world of Pokemon? Set in Generation IV, Chapter 17 posted.
1. Prologue: A Wide World

Prologue: A Wide World

This world is large. Incredibly large, or so I am told. It is full of all sorts of wonders and mysteries. The greatest wonder and mystery alike in this world is them: the Pokemon. These are fantastic creatures with incredible powers, and they can be found all around in this large world. They come in all shapes and sizes, and hundreds of different varieties, or so I am told. Although that last part is pretty common knowledge, so it would be what I know rather than what I'm told.

Much of this large world revolves around the Pokemon. They have, for many generations, shaped our technology, our economy and even our social structure. There are many ways in which people interact with Pokemon, but there is one that is aspired to more than any other: training them. Being a Pokemon Trainer is one of the most interesting and diverse professions in the world. You travel to distant and interesting places, meet lots of people, including other trainers, and can even earn fame and fortune, or so I am told. I could care less about the fortune, but the fame would be nice.

My name is Amber, and I am one such person who aspires to be a Pokemon Trainer. The thought of going out on an adventure to see the world is so appealing to me. Unfortunately I've found myself held back by my mother, who thinks that adventuring isn't proper for a young lady like myself. She seems to think that the hustle and bustle of Jubilife; Sinnoh's largest city, is adventure enough.

The truth though, is that my father went off on an adventure a few years ago and hasn't even contacted us once. Frankly, I wasn't bothered by that much, since he left before I was old enough to really know him well; I think I was three at the time. I also admire his determination to follow through on the adventure he set out on. Mother however, is a tad more upset with him, although I can't really blame her for that, as much as I'd like to.

There is one ray of hope for my future as an adventurer though. My uncle, Chuck, who is my mother's older brother would be that ray. Back in the day he was a fairly well known Pokemon Trainer, and is currently my idol. I grew up listening to his stories of battle and conquest over other trainers, and the more I heard, the more I was fascinated by them. He has, with no small amount of encouragement from me, been trying to convince mother to allow me to pursue my dream. I think she might give in soon, so it's just a matter of time.

My mother works as an executive for Jubilife TV, so we get free access to all their programming. However, just about every program they run is about Pokemon, and this has only helped to reinforce my desire to become an adventure seeking Trainer. Like I said before, our world practically revolves around those amazing creatures. My world growing up revolved around them more than any of my other friends, even though I wasn't the only one with such an ambition.

Although I have a lot of ambition, there is one major hindrance to my chances of starting an adventure: I didn't have a Pokemon. Uncle Chuck has, on more than one occasion, offered to take me out into the wild to catch one, but my mother has always had some convenient excuse. I had been hoping for another chance, but I haven't seen Uncle Chuck for quite some time. Hopefully he'll be back soon, it's almost my birthday.

I'm turning twelve this year. Technically, anyone over the age of ten can get a license to become a Trainer, so I'm a couple years behind schedule. The one benefit there was that I had time to plan out where I would go and what I would do, to a certain extent at least, since not everything can be expected to go according to plan. I do have my license though, since I picked it up through the Trainer's School here in town. My mother did find out about it, but figured she could ignore it, since I didn't have a Pokemon of my own. I just wish she wasn't right.

I got a call from Uncle Chuck recently, saying that he was going to make in time for my birthday. I was excited to hear that news by itself, but he also said that he had a special surprise for me. I'm really excited to find out what it is, since he didn't give me any hints whatsoever. Knowing him though, it was going to be something awesome. Tomorrow is my birthday, so I'll have to wait until then to find out. Little did I know, that tomorrow's birthday would change everything. Tomorrow is when my adventure will truly begin, but I won't know that until tomorrow comes.

**Author's Notes: **New Story and new perspective. Pokemon is something I know like the back of my hand. Since I was told that first person narratives are hard, it seemed to me that I should go with something that I know well in order to make it a bit easier. I hope everyone that reads this enjoys it, and of course, thanks for reading.

**Additional Note: **I started writing this story back near the beginning of Gen IV, but it seems kind of imperative to start posting it with Generation V looming ahead, lest it become dated. I'm also sick of my inability to consistently post chapters for Digimon, so I figured I should give my readers something else in the meantime. Hope you all like it.


	2. It Begins

Chapter 1: It Begins

**Disclaimer: I own numerous Pokemon games, but the franchise itself belongs to Nintendo**

I awoke to a soft beeping sound coming in through my left ear. I tilted my head ever so slightly and saw the flashing display of my alarm clock, on the nightstand next to my bed. I swung my arm out from under the bedsheets and hit the 'off' switch, disabling the alarm. I pushed the covers back off of my body, and swung my legs over the bed, bringing myself into a sitting position.

I stretched my arms out over my head, as well as giving my neck a slight twist to loosen my self up. I stood up from my bed, and turned towards the door of my room. I opened the door and emerged into the hallway of the apartment where I lived with my mother. I walked a short distance down that hallway to the bathroom, which was presently unoccupied. I entered the room and closed the door behind me.

I walked over to the mirror above the sink and took a look at my reflection. My light brown hair was all over the place, and my hazel eyes were still a bit bleary. I rubbed my eyes and reached for my hair brush, proceeding to straighten out my frazzled hair. When I had finished brushing it, it reached just past my shoulders.

I heard a call from outside the room; it was my mother. "I hope you're up Amber," she called, "Charles is going to be here soon."

My mother's statement reminded of something fairly important: Today was my twelfth birthday. I had almost forgotten due to the fact that my friends and I had held a party several days earlier. Today though, on my actual birthday, my mother's older brother was coming to visit. His name was Charles, but I affectionately referred to him as Uncle Chuck. Unlike my mother, he always supported my dreams of adventure.

I quickly brushed my teeth before leaving the bathroom. I proceeded back to my own room, and shut the door behind me once again. I removed my pyjamas and threw them on top of a pile of other dirty clothes. I then began to search my room for a proper outfit. Not just a proper outfit, but also my favourite.

The first item I found hanging on a hook attached to the door. It was a brown Fedora. I loved this hat, primarily because my mother disliked it. She said it looked too 'boyish'. That's my mother for you; always wanting me to be proper and ladylike when I quite clearly had other things in mind. As much as I liked that hat though, I couldn't get dressed easily with it on, so I left it where it was. I plucked a pair of jeans and a shirt from my dresser drawer. The jeans were blue, and didn't quite cover the length of my legs, ending a few inches above the ankle. I had shortened them myself because the hems had gotten tattered. The shirt was a plain, white, long sleeved t-shirt, which I pulled on after buttoning up my jeans.

I then went into my closet and reached for one of the clothing hangers. From this hanger I plucked a red, sleeveless vest. This was not a plain vest though, for on the back it was adorned with one of my favourite emblems. The top of the emblem was a semicircle outlined in white, and the bottom was another semicircle, filled in completely with white. Between the two hemispheres was a thin black line, at the centre of which was a smaller black circle. This was the emblem of a Pokemon Trainer. I also grabbed a pair of black, fingerless gloves off of my nightstand and donned them. I looked myself over and decided that my appearance was sufficient to tiff off my mother, and turned to leave my room. Before doing so, I grabbed my Fedora and placed it snugly on my head. I smirked to myself, and then left the room.

I entered into the main part of the apartment, which featured a small kitchen and living area. My mother was presently in the kitchen, preparing a meal. She looked up when I entered the room, and of course, scoffed at my appearance. I gave myself a small smile, since my outfit had had the desired impact on her.

"Honestly Amber," she muttered, "I thought I asked you to dress nicely when we have company coming."

"This is dressing nicely," I replied quickly. "Uncle Chuck always liked this outfit, so it's being nice to him."

My mother gave a defeated sigh and went back to her cooking. I turned away from her and plopped myself down on the couch. I grabbed the remote that was laying nearby and flicked on the television. What came on was, with little surprise, a show talking about Pokemon. However, that was a little too boring for the mood I was in now, so I jumped around the channels until I found something more exciting.

_"For Jubilife TV, this is Ann Migley. I'm reporting live from the Sinnoh League Stadium, where this year's Pokemon League Championship is about to begin. We are currently in the midst of an exhibition match between Aaron and Bertha of the Elite Four, which is starting off today's festivities."_

The camera then switched from the reporter to an arena. Inside this arena, two people stood on opposite ends of a boundary drawn on the arena floor. Inside that boundary were two creatures that appeared to be locked in combat. One of them resembled a large, jagged skinned, purple scorpion. The other appeared to be a black hippopotamus, with several holes on its back spewing large quantities of sand. These creatures were both Pokemon.

I watched the ensuing battle with excitement and unparalleled glee. Nothing got my heart racing like a good Pokemon Battle. I was presently rooting for Aaron, since he appeared to be the underdog in this match. I occasionally heard mutters coming from my mother, but paid no mind to them. The match eventually concluded with Bertha as the victor, which disappointed me a little bit. It had been a fun match to watch though, so I wasn't too concerned.

Just after the match ended, the buzzer for the front door rang. I quickly turned off the TV, and nearly leapt over the couch to reach the door. When I reached the door I took a deep breath to calm myself before opening it. Upon opening the door, I was met with the friendly smile of my Uncle Chuck. I gave him a hug and he patted me on the shoulder. I then stepped back to allow him in.

"I ran into someone on my way here," said Chuck, reaching to his left."

Under his arm, Chuck pulled over a mousey looking boy. He had short, messy blonde hair, and a pair of bright green eyes tucked behind a pair of oval shaped glasses. This boy was Robert, and had been my friend for as long as I could remember. Despite the fact that he was older than me by a year, he was often intimidated by me, since I was often more enthusiastic than he was.

"Hi Amber," he said meekly. "I hope you don't mind me being here, but your uncle caught me on the street and dragged me up here with him.

"You're always welcome here," I replied. "Don't be such a wuss."

Chuck released Robert, who walked up to my side. Chuck followed him in, but diverted to the kitchen to greet my mother.

"Heya sis," he said warmly. "It's been too long."

"It's nice to see you too Charles," she replied.

"Must you be so formal all the time? I keep telling you to call me 'Chuck'."

"Thank you, but I prefer Charles."

"Suit yourself." Chuck then turned to me and gave another big smile. "Happy birthday Amber; you've gotten bigger since I last saw you."

"Yes, happy birthday from me as well," added Robert, timidly.

"Thanks guys," I replied. "How've you been?"

"There'll be plenty of time to discuss that while we're eating."

Shortly thereafter, my mother announced that she had finished preparing a lunch. Robert and I set the table for the four of us while my mother and uncle chatted with each other. Once the table was set, the two of them joined us and we all sat down to eat. As we ate, Chuck filled us in on what he had been up to since the last time we had seen him. Mother seemed rather uninterested, but I always liked hearing about his adventures. I was rather envious of the life he led.

"That was an excellent meal sis, as always," stated Chuck as he finished eating.

"Thank you," replied my mother, "it's good to know someone appreciates my talents."

"Would you like some help with the dishes?" asked Robert, speaking to my mother.

"Thank you Robert, that would be good."

Robert and my mother cleared the table while Chuck and I finished talking about his last story. Once the other two were away from the table, Chuck stood up, and beckoned for me to follow. I did so, and he led me back over to the living room, where we both plopped down on the couch.

"Now then," he began, "I have something for you, since it is your birthday after all. However; if you want it, you'll have to pass a pop quiz."

"Bring it on," I replied. Uncle Chuck would often spring quizzes on me when he came to visit. I didn't mind though, since all of his questions were about Pokemon. I figured he was trying to help me prepare for when I became a Trainer.

"First question: Who invented the original Pokedex?"

"That's an easy one," I replied. It was the truth, as the Pokedex was common knowledge even among non-trainers. It was a hand-held, electronic encyclopedia exclusively featuring information about Pokemon. "Professor Oak, of Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. However, the original version only contained information on one hundred and fifty species."

"Excellent answer, as usual. As a follow up to that, how many species of Pokemon are presently known?"

"Over four hundred, although there could be many more out there that haven't been documented yet."

"I'll give that to you, but I think now there's closer to five hundred that are known now."

"I don't think either of us are the most up to date as far as leading Pokemon research is concerned."

"True enough. Last question: Who is the current Pokemon League Champion?"

"I believe that would be Cynthia. She won the preliminary tournament a few years ago, as well as beating every member of the Elite Four, and the previous Champion on top of that."

"Correct again, and congratulations. Now, before I give you this gift, you have to promise me you'll be responsible with it."

"Alright, I promise." I gave the reply quickly, but I wasn't entirely sure what he was getting at.

I watched as Uncle Chuck reached into a pocket on the inside of the vest he was wearing. When he removed his hand, something was clutched in it. He opened his hand to reveal a tiny sphere, red on the top, white on the bottom, with a button on the front between the hemispheres. He was holding a Pokeball. This tiny capsule served as a storage device for Pokemon that had been captured and were being raised by a Trainer.

My eyes lit up upon laying eyes on the capsule. I looked up at my uncle in disbelief, but he simply smiled at me. He placed the Pokeball in my hand, where I simply stared at it for a minute. After getting over the initial shock, I clicked the button on the ball with my finger. This caused the Pokeball to expand to a size where it filled my hand; slightly larger than a tennis ball.

Uncle Chuck looked at me with almost as much excitement as I felt. "I got this just for you; I hope you like it."

"Are you kidding?" I exclaimed. "My first Pokemon!"

Upon hearing this, Robert looked over from the kitchen. "Did you just say you got a Pokemon?"

My mother sighed and said nothing, but I took no notice. Uncle Chuck spoke again; "I already talked to your mother about this, and she finally agreed to let you go on the journey you've been wanting to."

"Is that true mom?"

Mother sighed again before speaking. "Yes, it's true. No matter what I've tried, I can't seem to turn you away from this desire for adventure of yours. Therefore, with a little nudging from Charles, I decided to let you go so you can get it out of your system."

Before mother knew what had happened, I had run over to her and embraced her in a tight hug. "Thank you so much mom."

Mother hugged me back. "You're welcome Amber, but I am going to impose a few conditions. First of all, I want you to call me at least twice a week. Secondly, I want you to be very careful; there's no telling who or what you'll run into out there. Lastly, I want you to keep Charles informed of your location, as I've asked him to check in on you every once in a while."

I quickly agreed, since those conditions seemed a small price to finally have the opportunity to go on the adventure I've always wanted.

Robert walked up to me then, and looked intently at the Pokeball in my hand. "So, what is it?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied, "I haven't opened it yet." I then looked to Chuck, seeking permission to call out the Pokemon inside the Pokeball he had given me.

"Go ahead," he said, "it's not a big one, so there shouldn't be any problem."

I nodded to him, and then turned my attention back to the Pokeball. It almost seemed too perfect, but there it was. I tossed the Pokeball to the ground, where it landed with a dull thud. The capsule swung open, hinged at the back opposite the button. There was a flash of white light, which burst forth from the Pokeball. This light took on a shape, and when it faded there was a Pokemon standing before me.

This Pokemon was fairly short, only about a foot tall. It was covered with soft, brown fur, with tufts of white located around its neck and on the tip of its puffy tail. It had bright eyes that almost looked like buttons, and two long ears standing straight up from its head. It was very cute, and I knew exactly what it was. However, before I could say anything, my attention was caught by an electronic voice.

_"Eevee: The Genetic Pokemon. This Pokemon has bizarre genetic makeup. As a result, it can mutate into a variety of forms depending on the conditions it is exposed to."_

I looked over to the couch where Uncle Chuck was sitting, and saw him holding out a small, red device. It looked almost like a pocketbook, except that it was obviously electronic. There was a small screen on the inside and several buttons as well. This was a Pokedex, but by the look of it, it was fairly old.

"This is my old Pokedex," said Chuck, snapping the device's cover shut. "It's an old model, but I recently had a friend update its database and it's processor, so it should serve just as well as any newer model."

Chuck handed me the Pokedex, which I pocketed. I then turned my attention back to Eevee, who was now nuzzling my leg. I knelt down and placed my hand on its head, which caused it to coo softly at me. I liked that sound. I then stroked its back, resulting in another delightful coo. I smiled broadly and picked up Eevee, who then proceeded to nuzzle my arms. I found myself a little surprised at how affectionate it was towards me, despite us having just met.

"She seems to have taken a liking to you," remarked Chuck. "I was hoping that would be the case. A friend gave her to me right after she hatched, and I decided to give her to you. While I was waiting for your birthday to come up, I gave her some rudimentary training and told her about you, since you were going to be the one looking after her."

I was almost speechless. Almost. "Wow Uncle Chuck, thank you for this, and for everything."

"No need to thank me, I always wanted you to follow through on your dream. I just did what I could to help."

Robert, Uncle Chuck and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with my new Eevee. She seemed to love the attention, and I was a little disappointed when I had to put her away for dinner. I held out the Pokeball, which shot out a beam of red light at Eevee. The Pokemon was struck by the beam, and reverted to a mass of red light, which was then pulled back into the capsule. I clicked the button once more, which shrank the Pokeball back to its compact size. I then attached the ball to the inside of my vest.

During dinner, our conversations never left the subject of Pokemon, despite my mother's attempts to talk of something else. Since he had enjoyed playing with Eevee as well, I jokingly suggested that Robert get his own Pokemon. He seemed almost frightened at the idea, although I should have figured as much. He's even scared of me sometimes, among other things.

After dinner, Uncle Chuck and Robert were on their way out. Before leaving, Uncle Chuck told me to be prepared for an early morning the next day, as he would be taking me out to run a few errands before I truly set off on my journey. With that, the two of them left, leaving the apartment feeling empty.

Once the table was cleared and the dishes were done, I decided to take a bath. I figured it was best to relax for the rest of the night so I could be ready for tomorrow. The warm water felt especially fantastic when coupled with all the other awesome things that happened today. I almost couldn't believe it was all real. I left the bath when Mother started making remarks about me becoming a prune.

I returned to my room and donned my pyjamas, setting my outfit off to the side. I intended to wear it again tomorrow, since it was another big day. I looked around for a moment, then decided I would wait until morning to pack for my trip, since I would be running errands anyways.

Before I hopped into bed, I plucked the Pokeball from my outfit and called out Eevee. She cooed at me as I picked her up. I set her on my bed, turned on my alarm clock and then lay down, pulling the covers over both of us. She was very warm, and it kind of made me sleepy. She nuzzled up next to me, and we both closed our eyes to go to sleep. It was the happiest I had felt in a long time.

**Author's Note: **I'll say this now, Eevee is going to be Amber's shoulder Pokemon, since every main Pokemon character needs one. She will not be going back into the Pokeball, barring dire circumstances.

**Additional Note: **It's been two weeks, so I figured I was good to put up another chapter of this story alongside the new Dynasty Chapter. Also, I figured having just the prologue up for this story wouldn't be sufficient.


	3. First Steps

Chapter 2: First Steps

I awoke with a start as my alarm clock blared right next to my head. I sat bolt upright and forcibly deactivated the alarm. Forcibly enough to know that it would not likely be bothering anyone for some time after. I was a bit groggy, and almost felt as though the previous day had been a dream. However, when I looked down next to my pillow, there was Eevee. She was curled up in a ball, asleep, producing adorable little peeps. I smiled, pleased to know that it had all really happened.

I prodded Eevee with a finger to wake her up. It took a moment, but she responded with a yawn and sat up. She stretched briefly and then looked up at me, smiling. I patted her soft fur and stroked her back, eliciting again that delightful cooing sound. I stood up from my seat on the bed and stretched myself out, at which time Eevee jumped down to the floor and sat by my feet.

After a moment, I remembered the reason why I had woken up so early. Uncle Chuck was coming to take me out for the start of my journey, and he would probably be here soon. Hastily I removed my pyjamas and pulled on my outfit. Once I was dressed, I went over to my closet and pulled out a backpack, which I had decided to use for my trip. It was equipped with several different compartments, and would probably be able to hold most or all of the supplies I would need while travelling.

I took the bag over to my dresser where I filled it with a few changes of clothes, and threw my pyjamas in as well. I then went over to my nightstand and retrieved my wallet. I flipped it open and plucked out my Trainer ID card. I chuckled when I looked at it, since it was two years old and I had never used it. I decided to get it updated, and made a mental note to add that to today's errands. I pocketed my wallet and donned the backpack, and grabbed Eevee's Pokeball as well, before exiting my room.

As I walked into the apartment living room I attached the Pokeball to the inside of my vest again, and decided that's where I would keep the rest of my Pokemon once I had caught more. It made sense, since it would always be within arms reach. There was also a pocket just above where I had placed the Pokeball, which is where I placed the Pokedex I had gotten from Uncle Chuck.

I entered the living room and noticed that no one was around. I proceeded to the kitchen, where I found a note from my mother, saying she had been called into work. Apparently she was needed to do extra desk work, as much of their staff was occupied with the Pokemon League Tournament that had started yesterday. There was also a postscript of 'Happy Birthday', and a paper clip. I was pleased to find that the clip had attached a five thousand Penz bill to the note.

I put the money into my wallet, grateful that Mother had been considerate despite her previous objections to my journey. Shortly after, the door buzzer rang, and I walked over to answer it. I was greeted with the broadly grinning face of Uncle Chuck. Eevee ran past my feet and started to nuzzle his legs. He picked her up and stroked her for a moment before addressing me.

"So, how's my fresh little Pokemon Trainer today?" he asked, patting me on the shoulder.

"Pretty good," I replied. "Mom had to go to work, but she left me five thousand Penz."

"Nice, that'll come in handy. However, if there's anything that needs to be purchased, it's my treat for today."

"Sweet; thanks Uncle Chuck."

"No problem Amber. By the way, how come Eevee isn't in her Pokeball?"

"Oh that; I figured it would be okay to let her stay out for the time being, since she doesn't have to worry about getting in the way or anything."

"Alright, but just make sure you keep track of her. You might want to carry her while we're in town if you're going to keep her out. Wouldn't want her to get stepped on or something."

"Okay," I replied, taking Eevee back into my arms. She decided to climb up onto my shoulder at that time.

"That works too," chuckled Uncle Chuck.

"So, where are we headed first?"

"We're going to the Pokemon Centre to register you. I know you already have your license, but now that you have a Pokemon you need to set up an account so you can catch them without getting in trouble."

"Gotcha."

I plucked the spare key from the case next to the door as I exited the apartment, locking the door behind me. Uncle Chuck, Eevee and I walked down the staircase on the side of the building and onto the street. We were just leaving the parking lot in front of the complex when we heard a yell. We all looked back to see Robert running towards us. We stopped for a moment and allowed him to catch up to us.

"Hey Robert, what's up?" I asked.

Robert took a minute to catch his breath before answering. "I wanted to come along so I could see you off. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, it's nice to know you care."

Robert chuckled weakly and then our little group resumed walking. As we were walking, the city looked a bit different than it usually seemed. Growing up, this city had been my whole life, but now that I was about to head out on an adventure, it seemed smaller. I kept my thoughts to myself and continued onwards.

After about ten minutes of walking, we reached the Pokemon Centre. It was a large white building with a bright red roof. On the front of the building, above the entrance, was the Pokemon Trainer's emblem, akin to the one on the back of my vest. However, instead of a black circle, the middle of this emblem was a red, cross shaped marking. Uncle Chuck had told me that all Pokemon Centres looked more or less the same as this one, in order to make them uniformly noticeable.

We walked up to the front doors, which slid open as we approached. On the inside, there was a reception counter directly in front of the door. Standing behind the counter was a young woman with curly pink hair, who also had a pair of looped pigtails on the back of her head. She was wearing a white apron and a headband adorned with a red cross. This was Nurse Joy, the primary operator of the Pokemon Centre. I was familiar with her, as I had come here often to learn about Pokemon.

Uncle Chuck and Robert walked off to the side as I approached the counter. Nurse Joy greeted me warmly. "Hello Amber, good to see you again."

"Thanks; you too."

"What brings you here today?"

I smiled at Joy and gestured to Eevee, who was still perched on my shoulder. "I'm here to complete my Pokemon Trainer's registration."

Joy looked at my Eevee and smiled broadly. "You're finally heading out? That's wonderful news Amber, I'm happy for you. Where did you get that Pokemon though?"

"Thanks, and I got her from my Uncle Chuck," I replied, gesturing to him. He was seated on a bench near the entrance, conversing with Robert. He waved to Joy briefly, who waved back to him.

"Alright then. While we're doing the registration, would you like to give Eevee a check-up? Just to make sure she's in good shape before you head out."

"Sure thing."

As I said this, I felt a tug on my right sleeve. I looked to the left, and then down to see who was responsible. I was met with the sight of what appeared to be a large, pink egg. This 'egg' had rounded hands and feet, and a triad of red tipped coifs extending from the side of its head. I knew this to be a Chansey, a Pokemon that often helped out at Pokemon Centres. Despite this, I wanted to hear what my Pokedex had to say, so I pulled it out and flipped it open.

A picture of Chansey appeared on the little screen, and an electronic voice spoke out: _'Chansey: the Egg Pokemon. A kindly Pokemon that loves to help the sick and injured. The eggs it gives out are highly nutritious.'_

The Chansey replied to this with what seemed to be a noise expressing amusement, and smiled at me. Joy also smiled, and patted the Chansey. I turned to Eevee and told her to go with the Chansey. She nodded and hopped down from my shoulder. Chansey led her off through a door next to the counter, which led back into the actual hospital areas of the Pokemon Centre.

Joy turned back to me after the two Pokemon were gone; producing a clipboard which she looked over. "Now then, let's get this done. I know you probably know this stuff off by heart, but I am required to go over it anyways."

"Sure thing," I replied.

"Okay then. First things first, all official Pokemon Trainers must be at least ten years of age."

"Got that covered."

"Indeed. Next; official Pokemon Trainers are only allowed to keep a maximum of six Pokemon with them at any given time."

"Mhm."

"Other than that, there are no limits to the number of Pokemon you may capture, unless specified by local legislation. All Pokemon not on the Trainer's person shall be kept in the Electronic Pokemon Storage System, or EPSS for short. Speaking of which, I have an account set up for you, since I figured it was only a matter of time before you made it official. We can activate it as soon as we finish here."

"Thanks, I appreciate that you thought all this stuff through ahead of time."

"Not a problem. Lastly; all official Pokemon Trainers must have their license renewed once every two years."

"Speaking of which," I cut in, pulling the Trainer ID out of my wallet. "I was wanting to get this thing updated anyways. A new picture would be nice too."

Joy nodded and took the card from me, inserting it into a machine on her side of the counter. She punched some information into a computer and pulled out a camera. She took a quick shot of my face and plugged the camera into the computer. She punched a few more keys, after which the other machine spit my ID card back out. It was freshly minted and bore the new picture of me.

Joy then handed me the ID card and the clipboard she had been holding. "You just need to sign here and we're all done."

I nodded and signed the form with a pen Joy provided. "Alright then, but could you tell me a little more about the Pokemon Storage System? It seems to have slipped my mind."

"Well, basically it stores Pokemon in a similar fashion to a Pokeball, but on a massive scale. Each trainer has their own account to keep their Pokemon separate from others'. You can access it at any Pokemon Centre, and also at mobile terminals here and there. You just need to swipe your ID card to access your account, and after that the onscreen interface is pretty straightforward."

"Thanks."

At that time, Chansey and Eevee returned from the back room. Eevee came right over to me and hopped back onto my shoulder, while Chansey went behind the counter and handed Nurse Joy another clipboard. Joy looked the clipboard over and then smiled at me. At this time, Chansey let out another 'Chansey', and returned to the back room.

"Well Amber, it looks like your Eevee is in good shape, except that it was a little hungry. We took care of that though, so you're good to go. Keep in mind that Pokemon Centres will always provide free Pokemon food if you need it."

"Thanks again Joy."

As I turned to leave, Joy caught my arm and I looked back. "Before you go, I have something for you." She then held out her hands together, in which were five compacted Pokeballs. "Consider it your birthday present on behalf of the Joy family. Although; we do usually provide a set of fresh Pokeballs to new trainers anyways."

"Thanks Nurse Joy, I'll make sure to put them to good use."

With that, I waved goodbye to Nurse and turned away from the counter. As I did so, I clipped the empty Pokeballs to the inside of my vest, next to Eevee's. I then walked back over to the bench where Robert and Uncle Chuck were still conversing. As I approached they both looked up and waved me over. I sat down next to them and smiled contentedly.

"So, you finished all your registration stuff?" asked Uncle Chuck.

"Yup; it's all official," I replied, grinning. "Nurse Joy also gave me five more Pokeballs to use."

"Good, that's one less thing to be taken out of my Wallet."

The three of us shared a chuckle and then stood up together. We exited the Pokemon Centre, and started walking through town again. Uncle Chuck told me that we would be going to a Pharmacy to pick up some curing potions and remedies for Pokemon. They were specially designed to treat ailments and injuries that often befell Pokemon during battles.

When we reached the Pharmacy, Uncle Chuck went inside to purchase the supplies, while Robert and I waited outside. Robert decided to strike up a conversation. "So, I imagine you're gonna try to qualify for the Pokemon League now that you're an official Trainer."

"Absolutely; this time next year, I plan to be the new Sinnoh Champion."

"I'll be rooting for you. By the way, you have to win eight... something to qualify, right?"

"Yes, I have to win Eight Pokemon League Badges from official Pokemon Gyms."

"Where are you gonna go first?"

"I'm not sure, I was gonna ask Uncle Chuck for some advice."

As if on cue, Uncle Chuck emerged from the Pharmacy and stepped over to the two of us. He presented me with a bag that held his purchases. I rummaged through it and found five potions, a dose of poison antidote, and some burn ointment. I smiled thankfully at Uncle Chuck before taking off my backpack and loading the medicines into it. After that I slipped the bag back onto my back.

"Alright, that takes care of the basics. Anything else you need?"

"Yeah actually; I was wondering if you knew where I should go from here."

"I assume you're talking about the nearest Pokemon League Gym. That being the case, it would be the Gym in Oreburgh City, east of here. It's also convenient that way, since I have business in that town. I'll be able to keep tabs on you for the first leg of your journey."

"Alright, Oreburgh it is!"

"Um, do you guys mind if I come with you?" asked Robert, surprising both Uncle Chuck and I.

"No, I don't mind, but what for?"

"Well; my grandmother lives over in Oreburgh, and I've been wanting to go visit her." Robert seemed unsure of himself as he spoke, but he was always like that.

"Sure; it'll be nice to have some company."

With our destination in mind, the three of us started heading towards the east gate of the city, which, according to Uncle Chuck, would take us to Route 203, which led almost directly to Oreburgh. As we passed through the gate and out of the city, the landscape quickly changed. The large towers and busy streets gave way to the massiveness of nature. There was a well tread road ahead, but it was surrounded on either side by wide stretches of forest.

I smiled broadly as I stepped into that wilderness; the first steps of my journey. Only a few minutes of walking onto the route, my attention was grabbed by a rustling patch of bushes. My body tensed, as the first thoughts through my mind were that of a potential encounter with a wild Pokemon. However, what emerged from the bushes instead was a young boy. I felt slightly relieved, but also disappointed.

The young boy seemed to looking me over, after which he smiled at me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball, which expanded in his hand. "You're a Pokemon Trainer right? I challenge you to a battle!"

**Author's Notes: **Near the start of new stuff like this I like to establish how things are going to work in my continuity; hence the whole deal with Amber's registration. Now time for things to get going for reals.

**Additional Note: **To my regular readers (or any new ones who are so inclined); I wouldn't mind a bit more feedback (reviews, PMs, or whatever) on this story, since it's my first time using a first person perspective, as well as being new territory in terms of subject matter. No pressure of course, it's totally up to you if you want to or not, but it would be appreciated. As always, thanks for reading.


	4. Battle!

Chapter 3: Battle!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

At first I was taken aback by the young boy's challenge. After a moment though, Uncle Chuck placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked back at him to see him smiling, which caused me to smile as well. I looked back to the kid with a look of determination. This was going to be my first Pokemon battle ever. I tapped the brim of my fedora, which I had come to believe was a gesture of luck. I then looked the kid right in the eyes.

"I accept."

"Alright," replied the kid. "I only have one Pokemon though, so you can only use one too, okay?"

"That's fine," I replied, "I only have Eevee here right now anyways."

"Oh; so you're a new trainer?"

"Yup, this will be my first Pokemon battle ever."

"Wow, neato. Alright then, let's do it."

Uncle Chuck took Robert off to the side and called to the boy and I. "If you don't mind, I'll referee this match. I just want to make sure you don't take things too far."

"Sure thing. Let's do this Eevee."

Eevee cooed at me and then hopped down from my shoulder. She walked forward a bit until she was about mid way between the boy and I. He smiled and then tossed his Pokeball towards Eevee. It landed on the ground just in front of her and popped open. Once the light had emerged, the ball bounced back to the boy, who caught it and put it back in his pocket.

The Pokemon that the boy sent out looks like a cross between a rat and a chipmunk, with large puffy cheeks, and equally large fangs sticking out of its mouth. I flipped open my Pokedex to check what it was. _'Bidoof: The Plump Mouse Pokemon. It gnaws through trees and rocks with its strong fangs. It tends to nest near bodies of water.'_

I couldn't help but smile, almost overwhelmed with excitement over my first Pokemon Battle. Almost. "Alright, let's do this!"

"Go Bidoof!," called the boy, "attack Eevee with 'Tackle'!"

At the boy's command, the Bidoof broke into a headlong charge towards Eevee. It lowered its head just before reaching Eevee, colliding with her with a fair amount of force. She was thrown back several feet, but immediately stood back up. I smiled, relieved that Eevee wasn't hurt. Now it was my turn to go on the offensive.

"Nice Eevee, now use your 'Tackle' attack."

Eevee nodded and then charged at the Bidoof in the same fashion as it had done before. The Bidoof stepped to the side in order to avoid the charge. However, I had already come up with an idea.

"Eevee, hit it with Sand-Attack!"

Just as she passed the Bidoof, Eevee spun around so that her rear legs were facing the Bidoof. She kicked up dirt from the path and flung it into the Bidoof's eyes. Temporarily blinded by the sand, the Bidoof started to flail about. This was my chance.

"Now Eevee, use 'Tackle' again!"

Eevee turned full circle towards the flailing Bidoof and charged it once more. Unable to see the attack coming, the Bidoof took the 'Tackle' right to its side, knocking it back several feet. It stopped flailing, and then fell over on its side. The boy groaned and pulled out his Pokeball, calling for his Bidoof to return. Once it was back inside the Pokeball, Uncle Chuck raised his arm.

"The battle is over; Amber is the winner."

"Alright!" I exclaimed, leaping into the air. Eevee cooed excitedly as well, and ran back to my side. I bent down and patted her on the head. "You did great Eevee."

"Aw man," groaned the boy. "I thought I'd be able to win for once if I took on a new trainer. Were you lying when you said you never battled before?"

"Nope, that was my first time. Personally, I think you need to set your goals a little higher if you really want to win."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you challenged me because you thought you could get an easy win. I plan to make it to the Pokemon League, so my determination was a fair bit higher."

"You're just starting out though, how come you have such a big plan already?"

"Well; I've been planning this journey for the past two years."

"Oh. Well, it's still some time before I can become an official trainer. Maybe I'll have more determination by then. Thanks for the battle though, now I have to go home before my mom gets mad."

With that, the young boy ran back towards Jubilife. I watched him as he ran off, and then turned back to Eevee. I stroked her back a few times, which caused her to coo pleasantly. She then scrambled up my arm back onto my shoulder. As I looked up, I saw Robert and Uncle Chuck walking back towards me. Both of them patted me on the back when they reached me.

"Congratulations Amber," said Uncle Chuck. "Such a decisive victory in your first battle. Although, I'm not sure about the lecture you gave that kid."

I chuckled in response. "So much for trying to sound cool."

Uncle Chuck and Robert chuckled as well. "Good job Amber," said Robert, "I wish I had your confidence."

I smiled and then looked to Eevee on my shoulder. "What about you Eevee, you got hit by his first attack. Are you gonna be alright?" She cooed softly at me and smiled in response. "Okay, just checking."

Shortly after that, the three of us resumed our trek towards Oreburgh City. According to Uncle Chuck, we would follow this path until we reached a small cave, called the Oreburgh Gate, which led directly to Oreburgh City. At our present rate of travel, we would cover most of the distance today. Then, provided we got an early start tomorrow, reach the gate by midday. Personally, I couldn't wait to reach the city, and my first Gym Battle.

As night began to fall, we stopped with the intention to rest until morning. Uncle Chuck made a small fire and cooked us some stew for dinner. Apparently he always travelled with such supplies, and I took note of this for when I would be going on alone. He also had some Pokemon food, which he shared with Eevee. I was a bit curious about this food, which consisted of little more than small pellets. Uncle Chuck informed me that they were flavoured nutritional supplements. I remembered what Joy had told me, and decided to get my own supply once we reached Oreburgh.

Right after our meal we set up for the night's sleep, since I intended to be up at dawn. Robert took care of dowsing the fire while Chuck and I laid out sleeping bags. Since Robert had decided to come spontaneously, he didn't have one of his own. Instead, Uncle Chuck offered up his, while he would sleep on the ground. Robert was reluctant at first, but accepted after a bit of nudging from us. With that, we said our good-nights and went to sleep.

* * *

I awoke the following morning when the first rays of the sun pierced my eyelids. I stretched and sat up, yawning deeply. I looked next to my pillow and saw Eevee sleeping soundly. I stroked her, causing her to awaken, after which she stretched and yawned just like I did. She looked up to me and cooed softly, which brought a smile to my face. We watched the sun rise over the treetops together as we waited for the others to wake up.

Uncle Chuck was the next to wake up, although I was surprised he had been able to sleep at all, seeing as how he was sitting up next to a tree. Even so he greeted me before proceeding to wake Robert. This proved to be a task, as Robert was the heaviest sleeper I knew. Still, Uncle Chuck managed to wake him, after which we packed up the sleeping bags. Since we were all still somewhat groggy, we started to chat before getting going.

"So Amber, how was your first night of sleeping as an adventurer?" asked Uncle Chuck.

"About the same as my nights before," I replied honestly. "Although, I was looking forward to waking up a little more today, and continuing that adventure."

"Speaking of which, we're less than a day away from your first Gym, and you haven't caught another Pokemon."

Uncle Chuck's words pierced me like a knife. He was right; I only had Eevee with me right now. In the wake of my victory yesterday, I had forgotten all about expanding my team of Pokemon. Although, it hadn't helped that, being relatively close to a big city, wild Pokemon were a bit scarce. Before I could make a retort though, I was again distracted; this time by a gurgling stomach.

Uncle Chuck snickered at this. "Looks like the Pokemon will have to wait until after breakfast."

"Didn't you use up your supplies on last night's stew?" asked Robert.

"Well, I had originally only brought enough for two people. Fortunately, I don't think that'll be a problem."

At that time, Uncle Chuck walked over to the other side of the path and began checking the trees. He smiled when he reached a certain one. He bent one of the branches down, revealing that the tree was covered in fruit. The fruits were small and red, and looked juicy. Each one was attached to the branch by a long stem.

"I believe these are Cheri Berries," explained Uncle Chuck. "They're a tad spicy, but they're safe to eat. They can also limber up the muscles of a Pokemon that has been paralyzed or stunned."

"Neato," I replied, running over to the tree with Robert. I greedily grabbed a handful of the berries and began to eat them one at a time. They were a bit spicy, but quite tasty. "These are good."

"It's a good idea to keep an eye out for edible berries like these when you're off on your own."

"I'll remember that," I said after finishing the berries I had plucked.

I reached back to the tree while talking with Robert and Uncle Chuck, intending to grab some more berries. My hand found a particularly large one, which I pulled off the tree. It came off without much effort, and I brought it to my mouth to bite. However, before I could manage this the berry wiggled in my hand and smacked my wrist.

Shocked momentarily, I dropped the berry onto the ground. Once I got a look at it, I saw that this was no fruit, it was a Pokemon. Its body was indeed shaped like a fruit, but it had two small feet underneath and a face on the front. It was a reddish pink colour, with a darker stripe on its back. Attached to this stripe was a pair of leaves, from one of which dangled a smaller fruit.

The Pokemon did not look happy that I had tried to eat it, but I wasn't paying attention as I pulled out my Pokedex. _'Cherubi: The Fruit Pokemon. The small fruit attached to it provides nutrients. It is also very tasty, which causes other Pokemon to occasionally try to eat it.' _I smiled to myself, and immediately decided that this Pokemon was going to be my first catch ever.

I reached into my vest and plucked out one of the Pokeballs, which expanded in my hand. I tapped my fedora and then hurled the Pokeball at Cherubi. Still disgruntled, Cherubi wasn't willing to be cooperative. Instead, it knocked the Pokeball away with its leaf, which at the same time hurled several smaller leaves towards me. I found out when they struck me arm that they were sharp.

"Cool, a 'Razor Leaf' attack," I exclaimed, ignoring the small nicks I had taken.

"Remember Amber," called Chuck, "wild Pokemon have to be tamed. You have to beat it before you can catch it."

I was a little embarrassed that I had tried to catch it without weakening it first. I shrugged it off and gestured to Eevee, who immediately hopped down from my shoulder to face the Cherubi. Although it had seemed disgruntled before, it was startled by the arrival of another Pokemon, and scrambled back into the tree.

"Eevee," I called, "'Headbutt' that tree and knock Cherubi out of it!"

Eevee cooed in response and ran at the tree, lowering her head. When she reached the tree she pushed off her hind legs and rammed the top of her head into the tree's trunk. The force of the blow caused numerous berries to fall to the ground, along with the Cherubi. It landed upside down after the fall, and appeared to have been knocked out from the blow. This was my chance.

I picked up the Pokeball and tossed it at Cherubi again. This time it made contact with Cherubi's body, at which time to snapped open. The Cherubi was converted into a mass of red light, which was then pulled into the Pokeball before it snapped shut again. The Pokeball landed on the ground, but the button on the front was glowing red. The Pokeball started shaking, and I held my breath. Then, with a metallic 'ding', the glow faded, and the ball stopped shaking.

I punched the air in my excitement; "Alright! I caught my first Pokemon!"

"Good job Amber," said Uncle Chuck, walking over to me and patting me on the shoulder.

"I guess our breakfast solved two problems," added Robert, at which we all chuckled.

I walked over and picked up the Pokeball, smiling. I thought for a moment, then bent down and picked up some of the berries that had fallen to the ground. I popped open the Pokeball, which brought Cherubi out in a flash of white light. It seemed a bit bewildered, or possibly confused. I held out the hand with the berries in it to Cherubi, who looked at them quizzically. After a moment of glancing between me and the berries, Cherubi walked up to my hand and began to eat, stopping for a moment to smile at me. I smiled back, happy that it was happy.

After we all ate our fill of berries, I returned Cherubi to its Pokeball, which I then put back into my vest. At that time, Eevee hopped back onto my shoulder, and the three of us set off once more. After a few hours of uninterrupted walking, we came to what appeared to be a small mountain. Uncle Chuck explained that this was the border of Oreburgh, which was a rocky area that was home to a large mine.

After searching up and down the rock face for a little while, we found an opening that led into the rock formation. Inside, we found a narrow corridor that was lit with a string of lights. Walking through the tunnel, it eventually widened into a larger cavern that appeared to be man-made. The entirety of the cave seemed to be lit, so we had no trouble navigating it.

"It's too bad it's not night time," remarked Uncle Chuck. "If it were, you might have been able to find some Zubat in here."

"Rats," I muttered. I would have liked the opportunity to catch another Pokemon.

We continued through the cave until it began to narrow again. Once we were in the narrower section, I caught sight of daylight coming in up ahead. Excited, I ran forwards through the exit and emerged into the outside world again. Looking around, I found I was at the top of a slope which led down. At the bottom of it I could see a town, although the place was surrounded by rocky masses on all side. This was it; I had made it to Oreburgh City.

**Author's Notes: **Whoo, Progress! Winning her first battle, catching her first Pokemon and reaching her first Gym Destination. Amber is on a roll. Let's see if she can keep it up and grab her first Gym Victory as well.


	5. A Rocky Start

Chapter 4: A Rocky Start

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

Uncle Chuck, Robert and I descended the slope quickly, which brought us just to the edge of the town. As we walked through the rough dirt roads, we noticed that most of the people around were wearing excavation gear and helmets, or carrying digging tools. Uncle Chuck explained that this area was rich in mineral resources, and as a result was home to a large mine. It was also home to a large number of Rock Pokemon, some of which helped the mine workers.

We continued on together until we reached the Pokemon Centre. At that time, both Robert and Chuck stepped away from me.

"Well; it's time to go see my Aunt," remarked Robert.

"I have my errand to run as well," added Uncle Chuck. "Do you think you'll be fine on your own?"

"Yup," I replied, "after all, this is what I always wanted."

"Alright then, take care."

With that, the two of them continued on their way. I turned from them and walked into the Pokemon Centre. The interior of this Centre was, as far as I could tell, identical to the one back in Jubilife. The same was true about the occupant behind the counter: Nurse Joy. After a moment of hesitation, I walked up to the counter and was greeted warmly by her.

"Welcome to the Oreburgh Pokemon Centre, are you a Pokemon Trainer?" she asked.

I was about to question why she didn't recognize me, but then remembered that I was thinking of the Nurse Joy back home. Despite the identical appearance, this was a completely different person. All of the Nurse Joys were related though, or so they said.

"Um, yes," I replied. "My name is Amber."

"Nice to meet you Amber. Are you here to get a checkup for your Pokemon?"

I told her I was, at which time she handed me a tray with six round slots. This tray was meant to hold multiple Pokeballs without having to juggle them. I plucked Cherubi's Pokeball from the inside of my vest and placed it in the tray. As I did, a Chansey came up to me to take the tray back. I handed it the tray, and told Eevee to go with the Chansey again. After they had gone into the back room, Nurse Joy struck up a conversation with me.

"That Eevee is darling," she started, "but how come you're not keeping it in a Pokeball?"

"Oh, well; she was my first Pokemon and I like keeping her around."

"Oh I see. Actually I find that a lot of trainers end up feeling that way about their first Pokemon. Your just lucky she's small enough to fit on your shoulder, otherwise it might be a problem if she wasn't kept in a Pokeball."

"Yeah, I guess that is fortunate. I have another request if you don't mind."

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you had any Pokemon food to spare, I'm not sure where else to get some."

"You're a new trainer I take it?"

"Yes, I just started a couple days ago."

"Alright then." Nurse Joy rummaged below the counter for a few moments and came up with a bag that held two translucent containers with Pokemon food inside. "Before I give these to you, I'll tell you the policy. We have no problem giving out food to new trainers, or to Pokemon that are staying here, but if you're going to be on the road a lot, you'll have to start fending for yourself."

"Okay then, thank you for the advice."

"Not a problem. You can usually buy Pokemon food from markets or breeders. It's also okay to feed them things like fruit or fish, but only if their diet can take it. In some cases, insects are also sufficient for a Pokemon's diet. Also make sure to take your Pokemon in for a checkup whenever you can, just like people how people see doctors on a regular basis."

I was quite thankful to Nurse Joy for the advice, and told her so. Shortly after that, Chansey came back out from the rear room with my Pokemon, with Eevee quickly retaking her place on my shoulder. Chansey handed Nurse Joy a clipboard, who then told me that both Pokemon were in good condition. I thanked Nurse Joy once again and then asked her if she knew where the Gym was. She gave me directions and wished me luck. After that I departed from the Pokemon Centre and headed down the street.

After a bit of walking, I came to the Pokemon Gym. It was a large, broad, grey building with a dim orange roof. Like the Pokemon Centre, it had the Pokeball symbol above the entrance, along with a sign declaring it the 'Official Oreburgh Pokemon Gym'. I let out a loud gulping sound, as I was a bit nervous about entering. A coo from Eevee into my ear calmed me down, and I proceeded through the Gym doors.

Upon entering the Gym, I noticed that it seemed somewhat empty. It was a large open space with a few people standing here and there. Directly in front of me, a couple of Pokemon appeared to be sparing with each other, but they stopped when I had entered the Gym. The two miners who owned the respective Pokemon called them back to their Pokeballs at that time. They all seemed interested in my arrival, and one of them approached me.

"Hey there little lady," said the miner. "What can we do for you."

I was slightly intimidated by the man's large stature, but I looked up to him and spoke. "I came here to make an official challenge of this Gym."

"Is that so? You'll be wanting to talk to Roark then; he's the leader of this Gym."

"Okay, so which one of you is Roark?"

The miner chuckled at me. "None of us is Roark, much as we'd like to be. He's off workin' a shift in the mine right now. If you want, I can take you there. He'd probably be happy to accept yer challenge, since he ain't had one in some time."

"Sounds good to me."

After that, the other miners went back to what they had been doing before while this one escorted me out of the Gym. He led me to the southern part of the town, where the ground slopped down into a pit. Throughout the pit I could see miners and Pokemon working; hauling carts around and shifting piles of Earth. At the far end of the pit was the entrance to the mine, marked by a wooden frame. There were tracks coming out of the entrance, which I assumed were for the carts I had seen.

The miner from the Gym led me down into the pit and eventually to the mine entrance. At first, the tunnel was about the same as the one from the Oreburgh Gate, but eventually it widened out and branched off into a larger network of tunnels. The miner led me off to the side, and asked that I stay out of the way of the other miners while he went to find Roark. As much as I liked the thought of exploring, I wasn't too keen on getting lost underground.

I sat down at the side of the tunnel and stretched my arms out. Eevee hopped down from my shoulder and sat beside me. I patted her on the head, causing her to coo and smile at me. For some reason though, she stopped smiling suddenly. She looked as though she was worried about something. Before I could figure out what it was, the ground beneath me rumbled. The floor beneath me immediately gave way.

I fell downwards along with a good quantity of dirt that slid with me. I landed roughly on my backside and made a point of exclaiming that it hurt rather loudly. Fortunately, I didn't seem to be injured, and looking up told me that the fall wasn't that far. I also saw Eevee looking down at me from the hole above, cooing frantically at me. I called to her to let her know that I was alright, and told her to stay put.

Immediately after that I heard voices calling out and saw a light approaching. The light came around a corner and was coming from a mining helmet. This one was different from the others, as it was a reddish colour as opposed to the yellow ones the regular miners wore. The person wearing this helmet was also wearing a grey jacket and pants with yellow reflective strips on the collar, waist and sleeves, and a pair of square glasses. I could see that he had untidy burgundy hair that stuck out behind the back of his head. He came up to me and offered me a gloved hand, which I took, allowing him to pull me up.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Before I could reply he also called out, likely to the other miners; "Have someone rope off section B-Twelve, the walls are unstable"

"I'm fine," came my reply, but then I noticed something was jabbing into my leg. I reached down and pulled it out, bringing it up to see what it was. It looked like a large insect leg with a claw on the end, although it seemed to be made of rock.

The miner's face lit up at the sight of the thing I was holding. "Wow, you found a fossil! I didn't think there were any left in this part of the mine!"

"Huh?" was all I could say before he snatched the item from me and began looking it over. He murmured to himself, seeming to completely forget I was there. "I don't mean to interrupt," I said sarcastically, "but would you mind helping me get out of here?"

The man snapped out of his trance when I spoke. "Oh, right, sorry. I get carried away like that sometimes. You're not hurt are you?"

"Aside from that thing jabbing me in the leg, no. It's nothing serious though."

"That's good; when I heard the wall collapse over here I was really worried. Oh, I'm Roark by the way; I run this mine."

"As in Roark the Gym Leader?"

"The very same, why?"

"Great; once you get me out of here you can battle me!"

"Oh, so you're a Pokemon Trainer? Alright, sure thing."

After that awkward introduction, Roark led me back through the tunnels and to the upper level of the mine. The miner who had brought me here from the Gym met us at the entrance along with Eevee. He was extremely apologetic about leaving me by myself, but I told him to quit it since the wall collapsing wasn't his fault. Once he had left back into the mine, Roark and I headed back to the Gym.

Once we got back inside, the other miners cleared out when they saw Roark. Due to this, I was able to get a better look at what was inside. In the middle of the spacious building was a large rectangular outline on the floor, with a smaller rectangle at either end. At the centre of the outline was a line across its width, with two circles forming an image similar to a Pokeball design. This was an official Pokemon Battle Area, although I imagined that most arenas, unlike this one, weren't filled with large rocks.

"I can see you don't care much for the decor in here," remarked Roark. "But for a rock hound like me, there's nothing better."

"I take it you use Rock-Type Pokemon then?"

"Absolutely; they rock. Now, this is your first Gym match I take it?"

"Good guess. I only started my journey a couple days ago in Jubilife City."

"Alright then, how does two Pokemon each sound?"

"Sure thing."

At this time, the two of us separated and walked to opposite ends of the arena outline. We each stood in one of the small rectangles at the end, giving us both a clear view of the field. At that time, one of the other miners walked over the the side of the arena in the middle, taking up a position to referee the match. He called out to both of us the rules for the match.

"This will be an Official Pokemon League battle for the stakes of a Coal Badge. Each of you will be allowed two Pokemon, and there will be no time limit."

"Ready Eevee?" I asked, looking to my shoulder. Eevee nodded to me and cooed excitedly, jumping down from my shoulder and walking up to the middle of the arena.

I watched as Roark pulled a Pokeball from his belt and flung it to the middle of the arena opposite Eevee. "Go Geodude!" he called.

The Pokemon that Roark sent out materialized just across from Eevee. It's body looked like nothing more than a large rock with a face on the front. Attached to its body was a stone arm on either side, each about the same length as its main body. I immediately pulled out my Pokedex; _'Geodude, the Rock Pokemon. Living in rocky or mountainous areas, they are often mistaken for boulders and tripped over by travellers.'_

"Alright Eevee," I called, "start off with a 'Tackle'!"

Roark called out in response; "Hold your ground Geodude."

Eevee ran at the Geodude, which responded by folding its arms in front of its face. Eevee collided with its arms after running a short distance. The blow pushed Geodude back, but based on the fact that Eevee staggered backwards after the impact, she had taken more damage than he had. Roark snickered at me.

"Sorry Amber, but Rock Pokemon are really tough. That Eevee isn't going to have enough power to hurt my Geodude. Now, use 'Rock Throw'!"

Geodude picked up one of the rocks from the arena and lifted it above it's head. It then hurled the rock at Eevee. Fortunately, Eevee had recovered from her blow to the head, and was able to avoid the rock by running in closer to Geodude. It picked up another rock and lifted it up, but it didn't get the chance to throw it this time.

"'Sand Attack' now, Eevee!"

Eevee spun around and once again used her hind legs to kick up dirt from the arena floor at Geodude. The sand struck it right in the face, causing it to wince. This in turn caused it to drop the rock it was holding right onto its own head. It fell to the floor and rolled backwards, it's eyes spinning.

Roark bore a stupefied expression at this result, and then called for Geodude to return. "Lucky shot," he called, putting the Pokeball away. "Lets see you handle this," he finished, hurling out another Pokeball. "Go Cranidos!"

This time the Pokemon that came forth didn't look like a rock. Instead, it looked like a small blue and grey dinosaur. Its head was disproportionately large, with four spikes on the back and a blue dome on the front. I again consulted my Pokedex. _'Cranidos, the Headbutt Pokemon. A Pokemon that went extinct one hundred million years ago. Its skull is as hard as steel.'_

I was a bit curious as to how Roark had a Pokemon that was apparently extinct, but decided to ignore that for now. "Eevee, come on back," I called, at which time she promptly came back to my side. I pulled out Cherubi's Pokeball and threw it into the arena. "Go Cherubi!"

Cherubi materialized across from Cranidos, although he appeared to be quite intimidated by the larger Pokemon. Even so, Grass-Type Pokemon like Cherubi were supposed to have an advantage over Rock-Types. I figured I would be able to use that instead of putting Eevee up against the physically superior opponent.

"Interesting choice, let's see if it works," said Roark. "Go Cranidos; 'Take Down'!"

Cranidos let out a gruff roar and then charged towards Cherubi, lowering its body close to the ground as it did so.

"Cherubi, hit it with 'Razor Leaf'!"

Cherubi peeped loudly in response and swung the leaf on his head around, hurling numerous leaves towards the charging opponent. The leaves made contact with their target, but they bounced harmlessly off its skull. It didn't even seem to notice the impact, or slow down at all. Roark chuckled at me this time.

"Sorry Amber, but once Cranidos starts charging it'll take something a lot more solid than a bunch of leaves to stop it."

Cranidos' head collided with Cherubi with incredible force, sending him flying. He flew backwards until he smacked into one of the large rocks, leaving a crack where he impacted it. He slid down to the floor, thoroughly battered. I grumbled to myself and called for him to return. Without any sort of type advantage, I had no idea how I was going to be able to beat Roark's Cranidos.

**Author's Note: **Looks like Amber's caught between a rock and a hard place (specifically Cranidos' head). Will she be able to pull off a win? For this story I will be taking material from both the games and the anime, so I'm hoping things will come together nicely.


	6. On the Rocks

Chapter 5: On the Rocks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I did, I wouldn't be stuck in a dead end job -_-**

Things did not look good for me. Roark's Cranidos had taken down my Cherubi, who had a type advantage, with a single blow. I still had Eevee, but I was worried about her getting hurt like Cherubi had. She was at a disadvantage against Cranidos in power, durability and size. Eevee was smaller and definitely more nimble than Cranidos, but if she couldn't inflict any damage on the Rock-Type Pokemon, then I didn't see how it could help.

Roark called out to me; "It's okay if you want to quit now Amber. You can come back and challenge me again once you've gotten a bit stronger."

I grumbled under my breath, because I knew Roark was right. I had rushed into this match without thinking ahead because I was impatient. However, before I could say anything, I felt Eevee nudging me in the leg. I looked down at her, at which time she looked back up at me and cooed determinedly, smiling. I nodded to her, at which time she ran back out onto the arena to meet Cranidos.

"Sorry Roark," I called back, "but if Eevee's not willing to give up, then neither am I. We'll find a way to beat you yet."

Roark shrugged; "I can admire your guts, but I'll warn you now: As a Gym Leader, I'm obliged not to go easy on you. I just hope you'll call Eevee back before it gets hurt too badly."

"We'll see about that. Eevee, use 'Tackle'; but this time don't use your head, you can avoid getting hurt that way."

Eevee cooed in response and ran towards Cranidos in order to tackle it. Just before reaching her opponent, she turned sideways and rammed Cranidos with her body. The blow knocked Cranidos off balance, causing it to fall on its backside. Eevee seemed pleased with herself, until Cranidos got back up, unfazed by the attack.

"I told you that you didn't have enough power to hurt a Rock-Type," called Roark. "Now Cranidos, use 'Take Down' again."

"Get out of the way Eevee!"

Cranidos lowered its body again and ran headlong at Eevee. She was able to duck to the side before it managed to get an impact, but instead of stopping, Cranidos continued in a headlong charge. Until it collided with one of the boulders that is. The impact of Cranidos' head shattered the boulder into pebbles, after which Cranidos finally stopped moving. This gave me an idea.

"Eevee, when Cranidos starts charging, get directly in its path!"

Roark looked confused, but ignored what I had said. "Cranidos, 'Take Down' once more.

Eevee, seeming to understand what I was thinking, moved in front of Cranidos. Cranidos let out a gruff cry and charged at Eevee once more. Just before it reached her though, Eevee again ducked to the side, while Cranidos continued charging straight. Once again it didn't stop until it collided with a boulder, shattering in the process. This cycle repeated several more times, each with Eevee just ducking out of the way and allowing Cranidos to crash into a rock.

Roark smirked and called out to me again; "That wasn't a bad idea Amber, but I'm afraid it won't be enough."

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

"Didn't you listen to your Pokedex? Cranidos' head is like steel. I imagine he hasn't even been feeling those rock impacts, let alone being hurt by them."

I grumbled to myself, but then, seeing where Eevee was currently standing, figured out what I could do. "Eevee, get in front of that rock that's just behind you!"

"This has gone on long enough. Cranidos, use 'Skull Bash'!"

Cranidos lowered its head, which seemed to pulsate for a moment. It kicked the dirt beneath its feet a few times before bellowing and breaking into a headlong dash. It was coming on a lot faster than before, but this is what I had been counting on. Eevee stood her ground as Cranidos charged, the air around it rippling from the charge's force.

I smirked at Roark, who only then realized what I had done. "Wait Cranidos, stop!" he called.

"Too late," I called back confidently.

Eevee ducked off to the side earlier than usual this time because Cranidos was moving faster, but, as Roark had said, it didn't stop charging. It ran clean through the rock Eevee had been standing next to, throwing dust and stone chips all over the place. It didn't stop running for a few more feet, at which time the dust settled and revealed what had happened. Cranidos had run across the line at the edge of the arena, leaving the field of battle.

"Cranidos has left the arena and is disqualified," called the referee. "Both of Roark's Pokemon are out of the battle. Therefore; victory goes to the challenger, Amber!"

As I heard the referee call this out, a huge smile broke out on my face. I trembled with excitement for a moment before punching the air and yelling loudly. I was almost ready to jump for joy. Almost. Eevee cooed excitedly as well and ran back towards me, leaping into my arms. I caught and hugged her tightly. She cooed again and nuzzled my chest.

Roark hung his head and sighed in disappointment, and then called for his Cranidos to return. He walked across the arena and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I guess I should be congratulating you on your first Pokemon Gym victory."

"Thanks Roark," I replied. "I was almost ready to give up after seeing what Cranidos could do. Almost."

"Heh, good job though. That was actually a really impressive way of overcoming the disadvantage in power you were faced with."

"Thanks, although I'll make sure to train more before I challenge my next Gym."

"Good idea. However; since you won at this one, I hereby bestow upon you the 'Coal Badge'."

Roark reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pin. The top half was rounded but the bottom half was three straight sides, giving it the appearance of a cross between a boulder and a Pokeball, although the colour more closely resembled the former. I took the badge and pinned it to the inside of my vest on the left hand side, opposite my Pokeballs.

"I imagine it will be the first of many," said Roark, smiling at me. "Oh right, I'm supposed to give you this too." He pulled a small white envelope from his jacket and handed it to me. "Go ahead and open it."

I did so, revealing that the envelope contained money. I counted out sixteen-hundred Penz. "Thanks, but what's it for?"

"It's a new policy they're instating around the region to help out travelling Pokemon Trainers. Consider it payment for doing your 'job'."

"Alright, thanks," I said, putting the money into my wallet. "If you don't mind, I have a question for you."

"Sure thing, what do you need?"

"Well; according to my Pokedex, Cranidos was an extinct species of Pokemon. How do you have one?"

"Oh that. Well; several species of Pokemon have gone extinct over the course of history. We learned about them by discovering fossils in places like the mine here. Over the past few years though, a technique was developed to resurrect these extinct species of Pokemon using DNA samples from those same fossils. Although it's more like cloning than reviving, really."

"Wow, that's impressive."

"That reminds me, would you mind if I held onto that fossil you found?"

"Huh?" I blurted out, before remembering, thanks to a twinge in my leg, what he was talking about. "Oh that thing. Sure, it's not like I'm gonna have any use for it."

"Sweet, thanks. It'll make a great research sample."

"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go back to the Pokemon Centre and get Cherubi treated."

"Go right ahead. I've got to start bringing more rocks back here to replace the ones that got broken in that match. If you're ever in this area again though, feel free to stop by and say hi."

With that, Roark and I said our farewells and both walked out of the Gym. We split up at the first fork in the road, after which I proceeded to jog towards the Pokemon Centre. Just as I was about to enter, something flew at my head. I had to duck in order to avoid getting hit. I looked back up to see what had nearly hit me.

My first impression was that I was looking at a flying dinner plate. However, based on the fact that it had a face, it must have been a Pokemon. It was a flat, hexagon shaped steel plate with a small orb at each of the points, and another in the centre of its body. Curious, I plucked out my Pokedex. _'Bronzor: the Bronze Pokemon. Its physical structure remains a mystery, as X-Ray scans of its body have turned up blank.'_

Before I could say or do anything about Bronzor, I head a voice call out. "Bronzor, come back here!"

Looking to the source of the voice, I was met with a surprise. It was Robert. He came running around the side of the Pokemon Centre, and stopped when he saw Bronzor floating next to me. Again to my surprise, he pulled out a Pokeball and called the Bronzor back with it. Only after that did he notice me, although he seemed a bit unnerved.

"Hey Robert," I called out, "since when did you get a Pokemon?"

"Oh um..." he stammered.

"Hold that thought, my Cherubi needs treatment. We can talk inside."

Robert reluctantly walked over to me and we entered the Pokemon Centre together. I brought Cherubi's Pokeball to Nurse Joy, who sent it into the back with Chansey once again. After that, Robert and I walked over to a bench in the lobby and sat down. I'll admit I was rather curious about what Robert was up to.

"So," I began, "I thought you were coming here to visit one of your relatives."

"Well; about that..." stammered Robert. "Okay, I admit it, I made the whole thing up. To be perfectly honest though, I wasn't expecting to run into you again so soon."

"Why not?"

"Well; I just figured you'd be in and out of the Gym in no time and on your way again."

"It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I did manage to pull it off." I flashed him the inside of my vest, displaying my Coal Badge.

"Congratulations Amber. Once again, I can't help but be jealous of you."

"Wait; you're jealous of me?"

"Of course I am; I always have been. You've always been so headstrong and determined, while I've always been timid and restrained. When I found out you were finally going on your Pokemon Journey, I had a change of heart of sorts. I decided I wasn't going to stay the way I was before, which is why I decided to follow you."

"I see. Why did you lie about it though?"

"Oh; that's just because I was still nervous at first. Chuck and I talked about it back in Jubilife City while you were doing your Trainer registration. Even though he encouraged me, I still had cold feet."

"That's Uncle Chuck for you, he always was one for encouraging dreams."

"Indeed. My attitude changed when I saw you catch your first Pokemon though. The way you looked and how it made you feel were inspiring."

I felt myself blush a little, but pushed the conversation forward and ignored it. "So you decided to get a Pokemon of you own. How did you catch it anyways?"

"After we separated from you, Chuck and I went over to the foot of Mount Coronet."

"That's the huge mountain range that splits Sinnoh in half, right?"

"Yeah, we're really close to it right now. Anyways, we encountered that Bronzor and Chuck battled it for me. After he knocked it out, he gave me a Pokeball to catch it with. After that I came back here while he went off somewhere else."

"So, are you planning on coming with me then?"

"I'm afraid not. As you may have noticed earlier, Bronzor doesn't want to listen to me. I imagine it's because I'm not as strong willed as you are and can't command its respect so easily. So, I'm going to stay here and train for a while until I can get it under control. After that, I'm gonna try to get into the Pokemon League as well. I actually came here intending to perform the registration."

"You planning on meeting up with me after that then?"

"No. As much as I admire you, I feel it would be better for me if I took my own path."

"Well good for you Robert, it's about time you stopped being so indecisive."

"Hehe, thanks Amber. I've got a ways to go before I reach your level of confidence though."

"I think you'll do just fine."

"Alright, thanks. I'm gonna go perform my registration now."

At that time, Robert stood up and walked over to the counter. He began conversing with Nurse Joy, who brought out the same form I had filled out. At that time, I noticed a set of video-phones over by the wall, and remembered the conditions that Mother had set down. I got up and went over to the phones, picked up the receiver and dialed our home number. After a few rings, the screen lit up and I was met with Mother's face.

"Oh, it's you Amber. Hello dear."

"Hey Mom," I replied. "Just like you asked, I'm calling to let you know how I am."

"I see; thank you for listening. Honestly, I half expected you to forget all about it once you actually got underway."

"Glad to have proved you wrong then."

"Indeed. So, how have the past couple days been?"

"They've been great. I camped out last night and caught my first Pokemon in the morning. I also had my first Gym Battle here in Oreburgh City a little while ago, and won." At that time I flashed the badge at Mother.

"Ah, so you're going to try and enter the Pokemon League? I thought as much, seeing as how Charles was your inspiration."

"Yeah, he competed a few times and even managed to get to tenth place."

"Yes, he likes telling that story. You said you're in Oreburgh City right? Where are you going next?"

"I'm gonna head northwest, away from the mountain range."

"I see. Well, thank you for calling me, but I have to go do some work for the evening news. If you're ever back in Jubilife make sure to stop in and let me know how you're doing."

"Sure thing Mom," I said, and we both hung up the phone.

At that time, Robert came back over to me from the counter. "So, you're gonna head northwest huh?"

"Yeah. Unlike the Gym Leader here, my head isn't full of rocks, so I want to get away from the mountains."

"Cool. I finished my registration, so now I'm an official Pokemon Trainer. Nurse Joy also asked me to tell you that your Cherubi will be fine after a night of rest."

"Thanks for telling me."

At that time it was getting dark out. Since my Cherubi had to stay the night anyways, Robert and I stayed at the Pokemon Centre. The following morning, Robert was gone and had left a note saying he was going off to train. Nurse Joy returned Cherubi, who had completely recovered and was happy to be back with me. After a quick breakfast, I set off once more to continue my journey. Not before stopping at the market to buy some food supplies though. I departed Oreburgh City with Eevee and Cherubi in tow, feeling as though I could do just about anything.

**Author's Notes: **Yay, Amber gets her first Gym Badge, and now she has a rival too. Will she be alright on her own though? Only time will tell.


	7. New Friends

Chapter 6: New Friends

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon**

A few days had passed since I had departed from Oreburgh City, and things were going great. I had encountered a few other trainers along the road, and managed to win most of time. This had been especially good for Cherubi, who had had his confidence shaken after getting beaten by Roark's Cranidos. With Eevee doing well and Cherubi back up to snuff, I decided it was time to move on to another issue: catching more Pokemon.

Due to the fact that I was trying to make sure Eevee and Cherubi were well kept, I had neglected to expand my team any further. I wouldn't be able to go very far with just two Pokemon, so now that they were both on good terms with me, I figured it was time to catch more. I was curious as to what types of Pokemon I would catch, and decided to think it over.

I had stopped in a clearing in the forest I was travelling through to have lunch. I let Cherubi out and fed him and Eevee as well. Once Cherubi was out, he wandered over to the bushes to eat his food. I figured this was because he was a Grass-Type Pokemon and felt more comfortable around plants. Eevee on the other hand, stayed out in the clearing with me.

We were just beginning to enjoy our meal when we heard a frantic peep come from the direction Cherubi had wandered off in. We both looked up in time to see him running towards us, although that wasn't all we saw. Something appeared to have clamped on to Cherubi's nutrient carrying berry, and he was desperately trying to throw it off. I pulled out his Pokeball and recalled him, removing him from the offending set of jaws.

Now that it had stopped moving, I was able to get a better look at the Pokemon that had attempted to eat Cherubi. It had a small, white body and a pair of legs that made it look like it was wearing a dress. On top of its head was a green 'helmet' that had the shape of a bowl cut, aside from the two round red horns on the front and back. I couldn't see its eyes because they were covered by that helmet.

I pulled out my Pokedex to see what it was. _'Ralts: The Feeling Pokemon. The horns on its head can sense and project emotions. It is timid and will hide if it senses hostility.' _I looked at the Ralts quizzically, although it seemed to look back at me in the same way. Perhaps it was curious because I was curious too. Then, I remembered something my Pokedex had said; sometimes Pokemon try to eat Cherubi's berry. Perhaps this Ralts had done so because it was hungry.

I reached into the container of Pokemon food I had left out from Eevee and Cherubi's lunch, and pullet out a few pellets. I knelt down low and offered the hand containing the pellets to the Ralts. It observed me for a few moments, and I felt as though it was trying to gauge what I was thinking. Soon enough though it put on a smile and walked over to me. It took one of the pellets with a pair of small, round hands and began to nibble on it. I suddenly got hit by a wave of joy, which I assumed meant Ralts was letting me know it was pleased.

I reached into my vest and pulled out an empty Pokeball. "Hey Ralts," I began, "how would you like to come along with us?" Eevee cooed enthusiastically when I said this.

Ralts looked at the Pokeball and then shook its head. I wasn't about to give up that easily, but then I felt something coming from Ralts. It felt like... a sense of loneliness, or perhaps sadness. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but at least I could tell that, since it wasn't running away, it wasn't afraid of me. Before I could give too much more thought to it, a voice called out to me, grabbing my attention.

Looking up, I saw a young boy running across the clearing towards us. At first glance he looked about the same age as me. He was wearing dark pants, and a blue jacket over top of a red shirt. He was also wearing a red beret, the side of which was adorned with the Pokeball emblem. Like me, he was carrying a backpack, and also had a white scarf around his neck. He took a moment to catch his breath after coming over to us, and then started talking to me.

"Hello there," he began, although he still seemed a bit out of breath.

"Hey," I replied. "Does this Ralts belong to you?"

"You mean it isn't yours?"

"Um, no actually. It came up to us while we were eating lunch so I decided to share."

"I see. I was actually intending to ask for your permission to draw a sketch of it."

"A sketch?"

"Yes, you see, Ralts isn't a very common Pokemon, so I was hoping to mark my seeing one by making a sketch of it."

"That's... kinda weird. Who are you anyways?"

"Oh, pardon me, my name is Lucas. What's yours?"

"It's Amber, nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. "So, are you some kind of artist then?"

"No, not really, I just think making a sketch is a little more personal than taking a picture. That aside though, if this Ralts isn't yours, is it a wild one?"

"I don't think so. It was projecting feelings of loneliness at me, so I think it might be lost."

"You mean it got separated from its trainer?"

Before I could answer Lucas' question, I felt Ralts projecting its feelings again. This time it seemed to be a bit happier. Looking at Lucas told me he had received the emotional projection as well. This in turn made me think I had been right in guessing it had been separated from its trainer. Although I did want the Ralts, I knew it wouldn't be right to take it from someone else. Instead, I decided that I was going to help it.

"I'm gonna see if I can help it find its trainer," I said.

"You are? Would you mind if I came as well? I'd still like to ask its owner's permission before making a sketch of it."

"I don't mind, but where should we start looking?"

"I actually just came from a Pokemon Centre a short distance from here. Perhaps we can ask Nurse Joy, or any other trainers there if they know about it."

From what either of us could tell, Ralts seemed to like the idea of us helping to find its owner. Therefore, after I packed up the supplies from lunch, Lucas and I headed off. Eevee walked along side me while I carried Ralts, and Lucas led the way. We eventually came back to a road, which I had deviated from in order to have better luck finding wild Pokemon. A little further up the road we came to the Pokemon Centre Lucas had mentioned.

I was a little surprised to see a Pokemon Centre out here in the middle of nowhere like this. Lucas explained to me that field Centres like this were actually all over the place, since it wasn't always easy to get to a major city or town to find a Pokemon Centre. It made sense to me when he put it that way, I just hadn't seen one yet. We entered the Pokemon Centre and were met with the familiar sight of Nurse Joy standing behind the counter. There were also a few other trainers around, so it seemed like this would be a good place to start asking.

I walked up to the counter with the Ralts. "Hello Nurse Joy." I was still a little unused to the sight of their identical appearances.

"Hello there," she replied. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well; it seems that this Ralts got separated from its trainer, and we were hoping we could help reunite them."

"I see, let me have a look," replied Joy, looking over the Ralts. "Wait, I think this Ralts is..."

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," came another voice.

Lucas and I turned to see that another boy had walked up to us and spoken. This boy looked to be a bit older than me, although his voice carried a bit of a chip to it. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt bearing the Pokeball emblem on the breast pocket. He had long dark hair which was tied into a large ponytail that reached his waist. Judging from the Pokeballs clipped to his belt, he was a Pokemon Trainer.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Name's Darrel," replied the boy. "I'm also the best Pokemon Trainer around."

"Hey, since you recognized this Ralts, does that mean it's yours?"

"Yeah right; that little thing is pathetic. I caught it thinking that it might be useful, but all it ever did was lose and then whine about it into my mind. I got sick of it, so I released it into the forest."

"You what?" exclaimed Lucas and I together. "You call yourself a Trainer after pulling something like that?"

"Like I said, I'm the best around." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small case, which he opened to reveal four Pokemon League badges. "I intend to be the next Sinnoh Champion, and I got no room on my team for dead weight like that Ralts."

Upon hearing Darrel say this, Ralts let out another wave of emotion; although this time it was a deep sadness. I however, was furious. I had always seen Pokemon as something wonderful and amazing, but this Darrel guy was treating Ralts like it was a pile of trash. My arm almost moved on its own, getting ready to smack him clean across the face. Someone grabbed me though, and I looked to see that it was Nurse Joy.

She shook her head at me. "I know he's saying some horrible things, but that isn't the right way to deal with it." She then turned to Darrel; "You should be ashamed of yourself for leaving a Pokemon like that."

"Heh," spat Darrel. "It's sentimental losers like you that give us real trainers a bad name." With that, Darrel turned and walked out of the Pokemon Centre, leaving Ralts behind once again.

I was about to run out after him when Lucas placed a hand on my shoulder. "Forget it Amber, he's not worth it."

I sighed in frustration and then took a deep breath. I couldn't believe the nerve of that guy. If I ever saw him again I was gonna challenge him to a Pokemon Battle and show him up. Even so, that still left the issue of what was going to happen to Ralts. I would have liked to look after it myself, but I didn't know if it was going to be able to trust people again after being abandoned like that. I sighed and then turned back to Nurse Joy.

"Do you think you'd be able to look after that Ralts?" I asked. "I don't think it should be on its own in this condition."

"I agree," replied Nurse Joy. "Yes, I'll look after it for now. I appreciate that there are trainers like you who really care about the well being of Pokemon."

At that time, I walked away from the counter and seated myself on a bench near the wall. I was gonna need some time to cool my head after that encounter. Lucas joined me after a few moments and sat down next to me. He sighed as well and then looked to me.

"I can't blame you for getting riled at that guy," he said. "Another few words and I might have joined you in decking him."

"I just can't believe that there are people who would actually treat Pokemon that way."

"Indeed. Pokemon are wonderful, majestic creatures and an important part of our world. It saddens me to see that there are still people that just treat them like tools or weapons."

"That reminds me; I was gonna ask you before but it slipped my mind. You're a trainer too aren't you?"

"Oh, well... sort of. I am officially licensed as a Trainer, but I'm not all that interested in competition."

"What do you do then?"

"I'm actually travelling around for the purpose of studying Pokemon. I work as an assistant to Professor Rowan. He's the Pokemon Professor for the Sinnoh Region and the leading authority on Pokemon evolution."

"I think I've heard of him. Yeah, I saw him on the news once. A little dry for my taste though."

"Maybe so, but I admire him, which is why I'm currently acting as his assistant. I hope that some day I can become a Pokemon Professor myself. For now I'm content to be an assistant though."

"What about that sketching thing? Is that part of your assistant professor status as well?"

"No, it's more like a hobby. I picked it up after Rowan told me that one of his colleagues used to do it when he was younger."

"Do you have any Pokemon of your own?"

"A few, but I don't use them for battle very often. They come in handy when I encounter some of the more fierce wild Pokemon though. As for you, I would guess that you're a more competitive trainer."

"You bet," I said, flashing him my Coal Badge. "I plan to enter the Pokemon League as soon as I can. I need at least seven more badges though."

"I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off. Now, this may sound a bit odd, seeing as we just met, but would have any objections if I came with you? Traveling around to different Gyms will take you all over the region, and to be honest I'm a bit tired of going everywhere on my own."

"I don't have any objections no, but why me?"

"It's your attitude. You see Pokemon as the wonderful creatures they are. I think traveling with you would be a great opportunity."

"Alright then, I could have used some company anyways."

"Thanks, here's hoping this journey is a good one."

After a bit more chatting, Lucas and I got underway once more. As we were heading up the road though, I was once again struck with an emotional projection. I turned around to see that the Ralts had followed us. I knelt down to look at it, while it looked back at me. This time it seemed to be projecting curiosity, and a little bit of uncertainty.

"Do you think maybe it changed its mind about joining me?"

Eevee cooed and tilted her head curiously. Lucas then spoke up; "Maybe it overheard our conversation at the Pokemon Centre and had a change of heart."

I pulled out the empty Pokeball again and tossed it in front of Ralts. "What do you say; interested in seeing how a real Pokemon Trainer treats her Pokemon?"

Ralts nodded at me and then pressed the Pokeball's button. The ball popped open and pulled Ralts inside, snapping shut right after. I walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up, smiling. I shrank it again and placed it back inside my vest. I turned back to the direction I had been heading and resumed my journey with two new friends in tow.

**Author's Note: **For those of you unfamiliar with Lucas, he's Dawn's male counterpart in the Generation IV Pokemon Games. However, due to his minimal role in both the games and Anime (he only got one 5 second cameo), I had to make a few assumptions of his character, and hope you readers will forgive that of me. As for douche, I mean Darrel, I figured a Pokemon story wouldn't be complete without someone who needs a morality lesson. Hope you enjoyed it.


	8. Flower Power

Chapter 7: Flower Power

A few days had passed since I had met up with Lucas, and it turns out it was a great decision for us to travel together. Although I had studied a lot about Pokemon, I actually didn't know too much about the world around me, geographically anyways. Lucas, on the other hand, seemed to really know his way around. He was equipped with an electronic map of the region, several guidebooks and always seemed to have some interesting trivia about every place we passed through.

As we were traveling he stopped on the road and turned to ask me something. "We're not too far from Floaroma Town right now. Wanna stop in?"

"Is there a Gym there?" was my reply.

"Um... no. However, if I'm not mistaken, today is the day of their annual Summer Commencement Festival. It marks the first day of summer and also the town's transformation from a barren hill to a flowery wonderland. Apparently the coming of the flowers into full bloom is an amazing sight."

"I don't know. I really should be focusing on catching more Pokemon and earning more badges."

"Well; since there's a lot of nature in that town, there might be some interesting Grass or Bug-type Pokemon."

I sighed and chuckled at myself. Lucas knew exactly what I wanted to hear. "Alright then, let's check it out."

So, the two of us turned onto a side road which would lead us to Floaroma Town. It didn't take long to get there, and we soon encountered a large wooden archway bearing the town's name. As soon as we entered the town, we were met with a blast of confetti. We were also approached by a pair of girls wearing grass skirts and coconut bikini tops. They hung wreathes of flowers around each of our necks and then stepped aside, opening their arms in towards the town.

"Welcome to Floaroma Town," they said in unison.

Lucas was right; this place was a sight to behold. There were a few buildings connected by a series of dirt paths, but aside from that the entire town was a massive sea of flowers. There were innumerable colours and scents around, and I was almost overwhelmed by it all at first. Almost. I was suddenly glad that Lucas had suggested we come here, Pokemon or no. Eevee seemed to share our enthusiasm, as she hopped down from my shoulder and began to prance around the fields of flowers.

I called for Eevee to follow us as we went further into the town. Occasionally we would come across residents of the town, who would be talking about the town's origins, or the different types of flowers that could be found there. Lucas would occasionally stop to sketch different kinds of flowers, while I let Eevee play around. She would often roll right on top of the flowers that Lucas was sketching, which caused him to make a rather amusing face. Fortunately, he was a good sport about it, and laughed it off each time this happened.

After a bit more time spent casually walking around the town and taking in the scenery, we finally came to something more in tune with my style: a Pokemon battle. A small section of field had been cleared in the shape of a Pokemon arena, and two Pokemon were currently having it out. The first was a small, orange bug with a pair of small mushrooms growing out of its back. The other resembled a Venus-Flytrap with a pair of leaves and numerous vines sticking out below its head.

I pulled out my Pokedex and pointed it at the bug. At the same time, Lucas pulled out a Pokedex of his own, although it was quite obviously a newer model than the one I had received from Uncle Chuck. He pointed his at the plant, and both of our Pokedexes gave their information at the same time.

_'Paras: The Mushroom Pokemon. It has a symbiotic relationship with the mushrooms growing on its back. They take nourishment from the host, while it is able to use their spores to defend itself.'_

_ 'Carnivine: The Bug Catcher Pokemon. It attaches itself to trees in marshy areas. It attracts prey with sweet smelling drool and gulps them down whole.'_

"Neato," I remarked, although Lucas looked a little disturbed at Carnivine's entry.

As we looked on, the Paras attempted to use its mushroom spores on Carnivine, but they didn't seem to have any effect on the plant. Instead, it lashed out with its vines, striking the bug Pokemon repeatedly. While Paras was dazed, Carnivine wrapped its vines around it and pulled it in, chomping on it roughly and then dropping it. This resulted in the Paras being knocked out cold, and then being recalled by its trainer.

The Carnivine however, simply drifted back over to its trainer without being called back into a Pokeball. That trainer was currently standing atop of a small stage. She was a young girl wearing a floral print summer kimono. She patted Carnivine's head and commended it for winning, before turning to a nearby microphone.

"It seems that another challenger has failed to defeat my Carnivine. For those of you who have just arrived, I shall explain this event once again. My name is Hannah, and I am the coordinator of this year's festival. As a special event this year, I am holding one on one, Grass-Type only Pokemon battles. Anyone who is able to defeat my Carnivine here will be awarded a very special prize."

Hannah then knelt down and picked up a small chest. She pulled back the lid and removed the item that was inside to display to the crowd. It at first appeared to be a small, flat grey stone, but when she held it facing outwards, a green imprinting of a leaf could be seen. She placed the item back in its box and set it back down on the stage, where two other similar cases could be seen.

"Anyone who can defeat my Carnivine will receive one of these Leaf Stones as their reward. Once again I shall state that only Grass-Type Pokemon will be allowed to compete."

Lucas turned to me, smiling. "You gonna give it a shot Amber?"

"Do you have to ask?" I replied. "Cherubi could show up that Carnivine any day."

"Nice to see you're confident. However, if you do win, would you mind letting me examine the Leaf Stone? The evolution stones have always been one of the things that Rowan and I were most fascinated with."

"No problem, but don't think you're gonna keep it."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Would you like me to hold on to Eevee while you're battling?"

"Yeah, thanks."

I allowed Eevee to climb from my shoulder over to Lucas' arms. After that, I pushed my way through the small crowd that had built up around the stage Hannah was standing on. As I walked, I pulled Cherubi's Pokeball from my vest and expanded it preemptively. When I finally got to the front of the crowd, I looked right at the stage and held my arm straight out in front of me, Pokeball in hand. Hannah obviously took notice and turned towards me at that time.

"I'm taking you up on that challenge," I called confidently.

"Excellent; we have another contender," remarked Hannah. "Could I ask the rest of the crowd to step back and allow us some room please."

The crowd obliged Hannah's request, and stepped back a fair distance. While they were backing up, I walked over to the other end of the field and took my place opposite Hannah. As I looked on, she sprayed her Carnivine down with a healing potion, before sending it back onto the field. I had no objection to this, since I wouldn't want to fight an opponent that wasn't at its best. I tapped my Fedora once again for luck.

"Go, Cherubi!" I called, hurling his Pokeball into the arena.

Cherubi came out with a confident peep, despite the fact that Carnivine was at least triple his size. Carnivine licked the edge of its jaws as though it was planning on making Cherubi into a meal. Judging by the expression on Hannah's face, she thought Cherubi was just a cute little berry. I'd show her up big time.

"Go Carnivine," called Hannah. "Take that little fruit down with one chomp!"

Carnivine bellowed and dove at Cherubi, jaws gaping open. I wasn't concerned, as he had dealt with things trying to eat him before; myself included. Cherubi rolled right underneath Carnivine, allowing it to collide with the ground and get a mouth full of dirt. The Carnivine did not seem happy about this.

"Good work Cherubi, now use 'Razor Leaf'!" I called out.

"Carnivine, counter it with 'Spit Up' attack!" came Hannah's response.

Cherubi proceeded to swing the leaf on his head around, hurling dozens of small, sharp leaves at Carnivine. His opponent responded by jerking his head forcibly out of the ground, dirt and all. It then turned its head towards the incoming attack and spat the dirt from its mouth with a fair amount of force. Although the dirt clod was shredded by the leaves, it served its purpose in preventing the leaves from hitting it. However, it had left itself open after expelling the dirt, giving me an opportunity.

"Cherubi, use 'Bullet Seed' now!"

Cherubi peeped in response and began to expel numerous tiny seeds from its mouth in a continuous stream. Each time one of these seeds struck Carnivine, they created a small explosive burst. Getting hit by so many of these in rapid succession seemed to daze Carnivine, which began to wobble on its vines. One more good hit and I would have it finished.

However, before I could call anything else out to Cherubi, there was a loud bang followed by the revving of an engine. These noises drew the attention of everyone around, myself included. The sight we saw as the culprit of the uproar was a motorcycle and a girl riding it. She had dark hair tied off in a short ponytail, and was observing the stage intently. Hannah glared at the newcomer furiously, as her bike had left a noticeable trail of trampled flowers.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Hannah.

"No meaning really," replied the cyclist. "I'm just here to make an addition to my rock collection."

Before anyone could respond, the woman pulled out a small round object and hurled it at the ground. The thing exploded into a massive cloud of smoke, obscuring the view of the entire area. There were several more engine revs followed by a screeching of tires. Shortly afterwards, the smoke cleared, revealing numerous tracks of trampled flowers and a very upset crowd. Fortunately, no one seemed to be hurt. However, Hannah declared that the woman had made off with her Leaf Stones.

I was about to go up to the stage to offer Hannah some help, when Lucas came running up to me. Eevee wasn't with him. "Amber," he gasped, panting heavily. "That thief took Eevee. She knocked me down on that bike and grabbed her."

Without even stopping to think, I immediately turned on the spot and began running. I followed the tracks left through the flower field by the woman's motorcycle, which led north away from the town. The only thing going through my head at that time was concern for Eevee, which blinded me to the fact that there was no way I would be able to catch up to a motorcycle on foot.

It was only when I stopped running due to a stitch in my side that this thought occurred to me. However, once I stopped running, my heart stopped pounding in my ears. This in turn allowed me to hear a loud crash just up ahead. I continued forward at a jog, ignoring the stitch in my side. I eventually came into view of a wispy trail of smoke, which was undoubtedly related to the crash from before. Peering through some bushes, I saw that same motorcycle riding thief, who had apparently rammed her bike into a tree.

"Argh, not again!" I heard her exclaim. "I swear, these things deliberately jump out in front of me. It's like the whole world is conspiring against me. Oh well, it's a small price to pay this time. Not only did I snag those three Leaf Stones, but I actually managed to grab an Eevee. The boss has been wanting one of those for a long time, so I'm sure he'll forgive another wrecked bike."

I chose this moment to emerge from the bushes and confront the thief. "Give me back my Eevee!" I roared.

The thief looked up at me in surprise, nearly tripping over her wrecked bike in the process. This allowed me to see that she had been in the process of tying Eevee's legs together. "This Eevee is yours? I thought it belonged to that boy I snagged it from. Oh well, it belongs to me now, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I don't know who you think you are, but that smashed bike is gonna be the least of your worries if you don't hand Eevee over right now."

"Who I think I am? Little girl, you are looking at the one and only Linda; motorcycle thief extraordinaire. Now, unless you want to lose more than your Eevee, I suggest you mind your own business. Go, Porygon."

Linda plucked a Pokeball from her belt and threw it towards me. The Pokemon that emerged from it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Its form somewhat resembled a bird, but it appeared to be made out of building blocks. Unsure about it, I consulted my Pokedex. _'Porygon; the Virtual Pokemon. This Pokemon was artificially created by humans. Its body consists of programming code and it is capable of moving freely through cyberspace.'_

"It may be a virtual Pokemon, but the injuries it'll give you will be plenty real."

I was about to make a move against her Pokemon, when I suddenly realized that, in my haste, I had left Cherubi back in town. I couldn't get to Eevee with Linda and Porygon in the way, so that left me with just one option: Ralts. According to Darrel, he had never won a battle, but I decided that it was time to change that. I plucked his Pokeball from my vest and called him out.

"You're gonna take on Porygon with that puny thing?" remarked Linda. "Oh well, I warned you. Porygon, use 'Psybeam'!"

"Use 'Reflect', Ralts!" I called in response.

Porygon's eyes began to flash with multi-spectral lights, shortly after which beams of rainbow light shot out of them. Ralts however, heard my command in time, and began to hum softly. Just before the beams struck him, they ran into an invisible barrier. This caused them to bounce off and fly straight back at Porygon, who took the full force of both. This in turn threw Porygon backwards, where he collided with Linda, leaving both of them sprawled in a heap.

Ignoring them, I ran over to Eevee, who was cooing loudly at me. I removed the string binding her legs, at which time she jumped up and started licking my face. I was pleased to see that she wasn't hurt, and let her climb back onto my shoulder. I then turned to where I had left Linda and Porygon, intending to give them whatever my fists could deliver. Unfortunately, they both seemed to have disappeared, although they had left the bike and its contents behind.

I was bewildered by the whole thing, and was left wondering. Who was this 'boss' she had mentioned, and why was he after an Eevee? Whatever the reason though, she didn't get mine, and based on Ralts' display, she probably wouldn't try it again. With that thought, I went back over to Ralts and picked him up into a deep hug. I felt a sense of joy coming from him, which I was quite pleased about.

"You did great Ralts," I said, patting his helmet.

After retrieving Hannah's Leaf Stones, I began walking back towards Floaroma Town. On my way back, I was met by Hannah and Lucas, both of whom had come to look for me. They were both greatly relieved to see that I had gotten Eevee back unharmed. Lucas had Cherubi with him, who I apologized to for leaving behind, and returned him to his Pokeball.

Hannah was pleased when I returned her Leaf Stones, one of which she removed from its case and handed to me. "You can take this," she said. "I think you earned it."

"But we never actually got to finish our battle," I protested.

"Perhaps not, but your Cherubi is stronger than it looks. It doesn't take a genius to see that my Carnivine was outmatched."

"Alright then, thanks," I said, placing the Leaf Stone into my bag.

Lucas, Hannah and I returned to Floaroma Town after that. Tired from the day's ordeals, we decided to stay the night in that serene setting. The people of the town had already begun repairing the damage to the flower beds, and had also contacted the police about Linda's attempted robbery. We later found out that this Linda was well known by police around the region, but primarily because she always left a wrecked motorcycle somewhere near the crime scene. Relieved to know that Eevee hadn't been in any real danger, I was able to sleep soundly that night.

**Author's Notes: **What; you actually thought it would be Pokemon without a bumbling villain? And then there's Ralts; Amber's gonna make Darrel sorry he abandoned him when she sees him again. Although, there's no telling when that'll be. Thanks for reading.


	9. Territorial Feelings

Chapter 8: Territorial Feelings

**Disclaimer: I have not managed my takeover of Nintendo yet, and therefore do not own Pokemon**

Although I was a bit shaken at first by the events that occurred in Floaroma Town, I quickly found myself relieved to be in such a scenic location. The sights and scents were quickly able to calm my nerves, as did the news from the police that Linda was a big time bungler. Thanks to that, both Eevee and I were quickly able to get over the ordeal of her kidnapping, and were able to move on. I once again had my sights set on getting to a Gym and winning another Badge.

After leaving Floaroma Town, Lucas and I had started travelling north. We were headed towards Eterna City, which he said was the location of the next Sinnoh League Gym. It would take us some time to get there, but I didn't mind. The trip would allow me time to train, and the opportunity to catch more Pokemon.

As we were travelling, I seemed to think we were going down, although it was slight. "Hey Lucas, what can you tell me about this region?"

"Let's see," replied Lucas, consulting one of his guidebooks. "It looks like we're currently at the southern end of 'Industrial Valley'."

"Industrial Valley? What's that?"

"That's just a nickname travelers have given this place. This place is a shallow valley situated between Mount Coronet and a much smaller mountain range to the west. Due to that positioning, the winds in this valley are incredible."

"How does that make it industrial?"

"I was getting to that. Due to the strong winds, this place was ideal for wind-based energy production. A large wind power facility was constructed for that purpose, which later came to be known as 'Valley Windworks'. There's another facility called 'Fuego Ironworks'. The western mountains had rich deposits of iron, similar to the coal mines of Oreburgh, so a steel refinery was built to take advantage of that. Almost all of Western Sinnoh gets its power and metal resources from this valley."

"That's all very interesting, but can you tell me anything about the Pokemon in this area?"

"Hmm... looks like its pretty varied. The edges of the valley are almost like mountains, but closer to the middle is more like a grassland. There's also a river running through part of the valley, so water Pokemon are also a possibility."

"Well; what are we waiting for?"

"Nothing I suppose. Although, if we continue straight in this direction, we should pass really close to Valley Windworks. That promises to be an interesting sight."

With our respective objectives in mind, Lucas and I headed straight into the valley. Although I had a tendency to be in the lead, Lucas pulled ahead when one of the windmills came into view. Although his expression was one of joy, it quickly faded, as we soon came to see that something was wrong. The windmills were there alright, but for some reason several of them were battered and damaged. One of them had been knocked clean over.

As we got close, we came into view of a building in the middle of the field of windmills. Its door was horribly scratched and dented, and looked like it had been attacked. Before we could question the nature of what was going on here, a horrible screeching sound split the air. Lucas and I looked to the direction the sound had come from, and saw something flying right towards us. Whatever it was, it was fast.

As it got closer, I was able to get a better look at what was coming towards us. It looked like a large bird, but it was a metallic silver colour. Its wings were also strange, looking more like a series of blades than feathers. This time Lucas was the one to consult his Pokedex. _'Skarmory: The Armour Bird Pokemon. Its wings are like blades that can cut as well or better than any sword. Despite its metallic body, it is capable of speeds close to two-hundred miles per hour.'_

Just as Lucas' Pokedex finished saying its piece, the two of us had to dive to the side to avoid learning first hand how sharp Skarmory was. As we got up, we saw that it had flown away, but was turning around and preparing to make another pass. Eevee jumped down from my shoulder into the path of Skarmory, readying herself for a fight. This time, instead of flying right past us, Skarmory stopped itself and set down just in front of Eevee.

I looked at Skarmory in awe, amazed at the combination of speed and power it possessed. I felt the same way looking at it as when I had first seen Cherubi and Ralts: I wanted to capture it. "Alright Eevee, lets show this flying tin can who it's dealing with."

Eevee cooed loudly in response, while the Skarmory screeched back at her. It then scratched the ground with its talons, cutting deep lines into the ground by doing so. It screeched again and lunged at Eevee with its beak. She rolled to the side as it lunged, causing it to catch its beak in the ground. However, before I could issue a command, Skarmory lashed out at Eevee with its wing, scratching her harshly and knocking her aside.

"Eevee!" I exclaimed, running over to her side.

The wounds she had taken didn't look severe, but she still needed first aid. However, Skarmory pulled its beak free at that moment, informing me that I wasn't going to have time to apply it. It screeched once more and took off with a running start, flying away from us. Lucas was quick to notice that it only seemed to be building up momentum, as it soon turned back towards us.

Just then, I caught the sound of voices calling out to us. Looking for their source, we saw that the door to the building was open a little ways, and there were people there beckoning to Lucas and I. Without hesitating, I scooped up Eevee and ran for the door, Lucas following close behind. Skarmory was close behind us as we reached the building, just barely managing to duck inside. The people who had called us over slammed the door shut just before Skarmory collided with it, adding another sizable dent.

The door banged and shuddered as Skarmory screeched and scratched at it, but eventually fell silent. Lucas and I breathed a sigh of relief at this, and then stood up to look at where we were. It was hard to see anything, as the inside of this building was only dimly lit. I managed to make out the people who had brought us in though. There was a man and a woman, and based on their appearances, they were workers at this facility.

"Thank you for letting us in," I said, although I was flustered. "My Eevee is hurt, is there somewhere here I can apply some first aid?"

"Sure thing, follow us," said the female worker.

The two workers led Lucas and I down the hall, although we had to move slowly because of the lack of light. They eventually took us off to the side into another room. Judging by the vending machines by the wall, this was some kind of cafeteria or lounge. There was a table in the middle of the room that I was able to set Eevee down on. I threw off my bag and rummaged through it until I found one of the healing potions. It was in an aerosol spray bottle, which I took over to Eevee's side.

I sprayed the potion over the area where Eevee had been scratched, which caused the marks to fade and eventually disappear. Shortly after that, Eevee opened her eyes and stood up on the table. She shook herself and let out a coo that almost sounded like a yawn. Almost. Relieved that she was okay, I picked Eevee up and hugged her, getting another soft coo in response.

After that, I turned my attention back to the two workers. "Thanks again."

"What happened here?" asked Lucas, looking rather frantic about the whole situation.

"It was a few days ago," began the male worker. "The two of us were out performing maintenance on one of the windmills when we heard that first awful screech."

"When we looked up we saw that thing flying towards us and ran for cover. However, it seemed more interested in the windmills than in us at first. It started attacking them like they were enemies of some kind."

"It set its sights on us when we tried to chase it off, so we had to hole ourselves up in here to stay safe."

"How come you haven't called for help or anything?"

"We tried, but our internal power lines were damaged when it first attacked. Right now we're on reserve power, which is why only the emergency lights are on."

"We haven't been able to go out and get help either. Skarmory comes to attack us any time we try to leave the building, which is why the door is in such bad shape. If it were any less sturdy, we'd be in huge trouble. Well; more huge than what we're in already."

"That isn't the worst part; Skarmory keeps attacking the windmills and damaging them. If we don't stop the damage and start repairs soon, most of Western Sinnoh is gonna be in trouble due to power failures."

"If only we had some idea of why it attacked in the first place, maybe we could get it to go away. You two seem to know a little about Pokemon, can you think of anything?"

"Well," I began thinking out loud. "Skarmory, if I recall right, is a very territorial Pokemon. Did you guys maybe go into its territory by mistake?"

"I don't think so. This Windworks has been around for quite some time, and Skarmory only began attacking us recently. We haven't performed any expansions of any kind for a long time either."

"Drat, so that's not it."

"I have another idea," cut in Lucas. "Although I think you were on the right track Amber. I noticed something about that Skarmory when it set down in front of Eevee. Adult Skarmory are usually around six feet in height, but that one was barely taller than us."

"What does its height have to do with anything?"

"Like you said before: territory. If this smaller Skarmory got kicked out of its home by something bigger or stronger, then it would naturally have wanted to find a new place to make its territory. It would have seen the workers here, or possibly the windmills as the case may be, as something weaker than it that it could scare or fight off. This would allow it to claim this area for itself as a new home."

"You two know quite a lot about Pokemon," remarked the female worker. "Are you trainers?"

I felt a little bothered by the fact that she even had to ask, considering what she had said a moment before, but I answered anyways. "Yes, we are. I'm currently working on entering the Pokemon League, and he's studying to become a professor someday."

"Then, if this is a matter of territory, do you think you could use your Pokemon to scare it off?"

"I'll do you one better; I'll capture that Skarmory and take it off your hands entirely. I was planning on doing that anyways, but then Eevee got hurt before I could follow through."

"Do you think you can handle it?" cautioned Lucas.

"Sure, but I'll use someone other than Eevee this time. Wouldn't want her to get hurt again."

"You'll have to be careful; Skarmory is very tough physically, not to mention its speed."

"Actually, that gives me an idea."

Lucas and I were led back to the entrance we had come in through by the two workers, back to the beat up door. We didn't hear any immediate screeching, so we opened the door a smidge and slipped out. Once we were outside, we moved away from the door so that the plant workers wouldn't be in danger when the battle started. After a short time, Skarmory's screech once again split the air, letting us know it was coming.

"Let's go Ralts!" I called, tossing his Pokeball out.

Ralts emerged in the usual flash of white light, just as Skarmory flew past us. Unfortunately, I felt a surge of fear from Ralts because of this, and could see that he was unable to move because of it. This was the worst time for something like that, so I had to think of something quickly. If Skarmory dove again while Ralts was in a panic, then he would get hurt like Eevee had and then we'd be in trouble, and we couldn't afford that at this point.

Then, it hit me. "Ralts; use 'Calm Mind'!"

Ralts seemed to understand, and its body was briefly surrounded by a soft glow of psychic energy. When the energy faded, Ralts panic had gone with it, replaced by a sort of blank state. Although it had been a risk calling that move without knowing for sure that Ralts knew how to use it, it was the perfect way for him to avoid letting his emotions interfere with his battling. He then turned to face Skarmory unflinchingly, while the metal bird circled around to dive again.

"Wait for it to get close enough, then use your 'Confusion' attack!'

Skarmory dove down towards Ralts, screeching as it did. Ralts was able to hold his ground due to the effects of 'Calm Mind', and simply waited for Skarmory to get close enough. When the flying Pokemon was nearly on top of him, his body once again glowed with psychic energy. This time, the result was that Skarmory screeched loudly and twisted violently out of its current dive. This in turn caused it to run headlong into the ground, only stopping when it collided with the base of one of the windmills.

Seeing my opportunity, I plucked an empty Pokeball from the inside of my vest, expanded it, and hurled it at the downed Skarmory. The ball caught it on its back, converting it into energy form and pulling it inside. The ball shook violently after falling to the ground, and I was worried that Skarmory might escape. However, after a few tense moments, the ball fell still with a metallic ding. I smirked to myself, pleased that I had made good on my desire to capture Skarmory.

Shortly after that, Ralts reverted from its 'Calm Mind' state, only to immediately project a sense of happiness towards me. I imagined it was very pleased about being able to bring down Skarmory. There was also a bit of gratitude, which seemed to be for the fact that I had taken his feelings into consideration during the battle. The projections however, were cut short, as I watched Ralts become enveloped in a bright white glow.

While covered in the glow, Ralts shape seemed to grow and change, and when it faded, a whole new Pokemon was standing before me. His legs had grown longer and thinner, giving him the appearance of a ballerina. His 'helmet' had also changed shape, now looking like green hair done in a pair of pigtails, which also served to uncover his eyes. His horns had also moved off to either side, giving the appearance of a pair of hairpins.

I had just witnessed the process of Pokemon Evolution for the first time, and I was thrilled! I ran over to Ralts evolved form and hugged him tightly. I then pulled out my Pokedex to see what he had become. _'Kirlia: the Emotion Pokemon. It is the evolved form of Ralts. It is highly perceptive of its Trainer's feelings, and gains power from positive emotions. This power allows it to use a variety of psychic abilities.'_

Eevee hobbled over to Kirlia and nuzzled him affectionately, which in turn caused him to smile and project positive feelings. "Congratulations Ralts," I said as I released him from my embrace. "Or rather, Kirlia now."

"Congratulations Amber," said Lucas, rejoining me and my Pokemon. "On catching that Skarmory, and on Ralts' evolution. Congrats to you as well Kirlia."

Kirlia responded with another surge of positive emotion, which left Lucas and I feeling pleased even after I returned him to his Pokeball. With Skarmory now out of the way, the Windworks employees were able to repair their power lines and call for assistance. They thanked us greatly for our help, and even offered us a position as bodyguards against future wild Pokemon attacks. We declined of course, and continued on our way. With Ralts evolution into Kirlia and my capture of Skarmory, things were definitely looking up.

**Author's Notes: **For the record, Amber decided to nickname the Skarmory 'Don', after Don Quixote, the man who fought the windmills. Just kidding. As for Ralts evolution, I went with the anime concept of Pokemon evolving after overcoming emotional or personal weaknesses (see 'The Problem with Paras' for an example). Since Ralts and Kirlia are Emotion Pokemon, this seemed exceptionally valid.


	10. An Interrupted Lunch

Chapter 9: An Interrupted Lunch

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (yet)**

After the incidents at the southern end of Industrial Valley, everything seemed to go right. Our travels through the rest of the valley went smoothly, especially with the beautiful weather that persisted the entire time we were there. Eevee, Cherubi and Kirlia were all in good health and good spirits. I wasn't so sure about Skarmory, as she seemed to have retained her territorial nature. However, I still felt that she would be better off with me than competing over territory with other, larger Pokemon.

However, with everything that had gone right, a few things were bound to go wrong. The day Lucas and I exited Industrial Valley was the day the weather decided to turn sour. We were almost caught in a downpour when we happened across a Pokemon Centre. Although we managed to avoid the heaviest of it, we still got wet before getting inside. As always, the Nurse Joy inside the Centre was more than happy to help.

The rain persisted for two days before finally letting up. This was unfortunate because, due to a desire to not get myself, Lucas or Eevee sick, we were stuck in the Pokemon Centre the whole time. It wasn't too bad though, since there were only a couple other trainers staying there. We also learned that we were just shy of Eterna Forest. This forest was right on the edge of Eterna City, and once we passed through it, we would be that much closer to my next badge.

Once the rain had stopped, Lucas and I headed into the forest. Things were kind of slow going though, as the wet ground was difficult to walk on. There was also the matter of temperature, as the two days of rain had cooled things off significantly. Due to this, Lucas and I decided to stop and have an early lunch to recharge.

I had found out during our time together that Lucas was a much better cook than I was, since he had apparently had to look out for a little sister a lot. Today he had made sandwiches for us, and they were quite tasty. Eevee got a nice helping of Pokemon food, along with the occasional bite of my sandwich. Eevee made a point of letting me know she liked the sandwich, even though I hadn't been the one to make it.

I was about to grab another sandwich, but something else got there first. It moved like a streak past my hand, snatched a sandwich off the plate and leapt down from the picnic table we were sitting at. Once it stopped to eat the sandwich, I was able to see what it was. It looked like a long, slim weasel with tan fur marked by a long brown patch on either side and another on the back of its head. As usual, I plucked out my Pokedex for some information.

_'Linoone: the Rushing Pokemon. It is capable of running at speeds of sixty miles per hour. However, it can only run in a straight line, and has to stop completely before turning._

Eevee was not pleased that the newcomer had stolen the sandwich, and jumped down from my shoulder to confront it. I wasn't too concerned about the sandwich though, since a wild Pokemon had just jumped into my lap. Eevee growled angrily at Linoone, but it didn't look aside to acknowledge her, instead continuing to eat the stolen sandwich.

"Don't take that attitude Eevee," I called. "'Tackle' it now!"

Eevee ran towards the Linoone from the side, aiming to ram Linoone at its middle. Linoone however, had other plans. Just before Eevee could land a hit, the wild Linoone sped off in a straight line, causing her to run right past it. It skidded to a stop a few feet away and resumed eating the stolen sandwich. Eevee just wasn't fast enough to hit it, but that gave me an idea. I called out Cherubi for this plan, since it would require his aim.

"Alright Eevee, I want you to charge that Linoone again. Then, Cherubi, when it dashes away I want you to aim ahead of it and use 'Leech Seed'."

Eevee yipped and Cherubi peeped, both approvingly. The Linoone didn't seem to be paying attention, still trying to scarf down the rest of the sandwich. Eevee ran towards it again from the side, which again caused it to zip forward before she could connect. However, this time Cherubi spat out a large seed directly into Linoone's path. Being unable to turn, it was incapable of avoiding the seed, which struck it right on the side. The seed immediately burst into a series of vines which wrapped themselves around Linoone. They began to flash red as they sapped strength from the Pokemon.

Once again I pulled an empty Pokeball from inside my vest and tossed it at the defeated Pokemon. The ball connected with its target, pulling it inside. Due to having its strength sapped by 'Leech Seed', Linoone was unable to struggle, and the ball fell still. I smirked and retrieved the Pokeball, then recalled Cherubi. I took Eevee back to the picnic table and gave her another sandwich, since I didn't think she'd want the one Linoone had mostly eaten.

"Congratulations on another catch Amber," said Lucas, having just finished eating. "I'm glad I decided to come with you, it's really been a good experience so far."

"I was quite impressed with that capture as well."

Lucas and I looked for the source of the new voice and found that another person had joined us in the clearing. This first impression she gave off was that of a walking tree. Her hair was a deep green colour which looked like a pair of leaves at the top. The rest was tied into a large braid which hung down in over her shoulder. She was also wearing a dress of the same colour, although the chest and sleeves were a lighter shade.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking at the woman quizzically.

"Pardon me if I was intruding," she replied politely. "My name is Cheryl."

"Hey Cheryl, I'm Amber, nice to meet you. He's Lucas," I said, pointing to him.

"Nice to meet you Cheryl," said Lucas, nodding to her.

"Nice to meet the two of you as well."

"So, what did you want with us?"

"Well; since you appear to be quite a capable trainer, I was hoping I could ask for your help with something."

"Oh? I might be able to help out, but I guess that depends on what exactly you were looking for help with."

Cheryl and I then sat back down at the table with Lucas so she could tell us what she wanted. "You see, recently there has been a disturbance in this forest. Near the edge of the forest is an abandoned mansion that people have come to refer to as the 'Old Chateau'. It was abandoned a long time ago because it was apparently haunted."

"What kind of disturbance is going on there?"

"It seems as though the rumours of it being haunted might be true. At night, all of the lights in the mansion start to flicker on and off constantly, and strange sounds can be heard coming from inside. The local Pokemon all seem to notice it too, and are afraid to go anywhere near the Chateau."

"Has anyone else tried investigating this place yet?" asked Lucas.

"No, the rumours of haunting keep people away. Even Gardenia was afraid to go anywhere near it. Although she was always wary of things involving ghosts."

"Well; I'm not afraid of any ghosts! You can count me in."

"I'm in too; urban legends like this have always interested me."

"You'll help? Thank you very much."

"Not a problem."

After packing up our supplies from lunch, Lucas and I began to follow Cheryl through the forest. It was a bit of a hike, but eventually we came to the site that Cheryl was talking about, and it was a sight to behold. The Old Chateau was a rather sizable mansion with two levels and at least four windowed rooms per floor to either side of the main entrance. However, shutters were falling off the windows, several of which were broken, the door was hanging off its hinges and the place was generally in poor condition.

I was curious as to what kind of person had lived there before, but put it to the back of my mind for now. The three of us walked past a broken picket fence into the Chateau's yard, and up to the front door. When we pushed the door inwards to enter, it fell clear off its frame with a loud crash. Cheryl jumped at the crash, and took a few moments to calm down. Since it was still daytime, we didn't need to bring out any additional light sources, as the windows were all open to let light in.

We walked through the short entrance hall and came to a large, central foyer. There were staircases leading up to an overhanging second level on either side, as well as a door directly across from where we had come in. Next to that door was a statue that seemed out of place, and gave off a creepy vibe. Aside from that though, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. At least not yet.

"So Cheryl," I began, "where in this place do those strange things you mentioned happen?"

"From what I've seen outside, they seem to be all over the place. That's not the only weird thing; it usually seems to jump from one room to another within the Chateau for some reason.

"That is weird."

When I said the word 'weird', it seemed to be a trigger for weird things to start happening. Right then and there, a chandelier hanging from the roof of the foyer suddenly lit up, even though none of us had touched any kind of switch. Just as suddenly, the lights turned back off with a light crackling noise. Before we had a chance to recover from the shock of that bizarre happening, we were met with another one. A strange buzzing noise seemed to be coming from one of the other rooms nearby.

My curiosity got the better of me and I followed the noise to the room on our right. I was followed shortly by Lucas and Cheryl, who also seemed to have any fear outweighed by curiosity. When we got into the room we saw that the only things inside were a few chairs arranged around an old television set. However, the screen on this TV was lit up, displaying loud static. Shortly after we entered the room though, the TV went blank, and I heard another crackling noise.

"Is anyone else hearing that?" I asked, turning to Cheryl and Lucas.

"Hearing what?" replied Lucas.

"When the chandelier in the hall went out, I heard this crackling noise. Same thing happened when the TV turned off."

"I think I did hear that, now that you mention it," stated Cheryl. "What do you think it is?"

"Normally that kind of thing is a result of electrical discharges."

"That doesn't make any sense though; there hasn't been any power supplied to this mansion for years."

Eevee started rubbing against me roughly, as though she seemed upset about something. Immediately after she expressed this, we started hearing a rumbling noise, which seemed to be coming from across the hall. We ran over to that room, and immediately saw that it was a laundry room. However, this time the washing machine had been activated somehow, and was shaking violently. The door was flung open and spilled a large volume of water onto the floor. I was beginning to feel creeped out as well.

Eevee seemed to have picked up on what was causing these events, because as soon as the washing machine died out, she ran back out into the hall, just as the chandelier lit up again. She then began running up the stairs on the east wing of the foyer, as the chandelier went out and a light at the top of the staircase came on. The three of us ran after Eevee up to the second level, and followed her into a hallway.

The source of the disturbances was now jumping around the lights in this hallway, turning them on and off one after the other. Eevee seemed to be able to recognize the culprit, but couldn't seem to keep up with it as it jumped from one electrical device to the next. However, now we knew that there was definitely something responsible for the disturbances, as opposed to random electrical interference. If only I had a way to catch up to it.

Just then, I remembered what I had done right before coming here: I had caught Linoone. It should be fast enough to stop whatever was jumping around the lights. "Come on out Linoone!" I called, letting out my newest Pokemon. "Alright, use 'Odour Sleuth' to track that thing jumping between the lights. Once you find it, hit it with your 'Quick Attack'. If you pull this off, there's another sandwich in it for you."

Linoone seemed quite pleased with the offered motivation, and immediately pointed his nose towards the flickering lights. I watched as he sniffed around for the culprit, aiming his body without moving. Then, suddenly, he leapt forward with that same incredible speed he had displayed before. As I looked on, his body seemed to collide with the air, but then I noticed the small electrical jolt passing in front of him. The attack served to dislodge the source of the disturbances from the electrical system, and caused it to appear in front of us.

As it turned out, the culprit was a Pokemon. It was a very small one though, no bigger than Eevee. Its body consisted entirely of an orange sphere with a small point on the top, and a face on the front of that orb. However, it was surrounded by blue electrical energy, giving it the appearance of having lightning bolt shaped hands. For the second time today, my Pokedex came out.

_'Rotom: the Plasma Pokemon. Rotom is known for being mischievous. It will embed its plasma body in electrical devices and play pranks on unsuspecting people and Pokemon.'_

"So that's what's been behind all this," exclaimed Cheryl.

"Fascinating," remarked Lucas. "To think something so small could cause all this mayhem."

"Good job Linoone, now return," I called, recalling Linoone to his Pokeball. "Go Kirlia!"

I sent out Kirlia, who seemed to immediately catch Rotom's interest. It observed him momentarily, before letting out a snicker that sounded like static. The Rotom swung its 'arms' around, discharging bolts of electricity at Kirlia. However, he was able to avoid them with a series of graceful, dance like movements. This served only to frustrate Rotom, who began to flit about frantically.

"Quick Kirlia, use 'Disable'," I called.

Kirlia nodded and focused his eyes straight on the thrashing Rotom. When their eyes met, Kirlia's lit up with psychic energy, which caused Rotom to immediately stop moving. However, even though it had stopped moving, it still managed to throw more electric shocks at Kirlia. Kirlia was struck by a few of these, but shook it off without much effort.

"Kirlia, use 'Psybeam'!"

Kirlia nodded again as his eyes lit up with rainbow coloured lights. She then projected this light as a beam towards Rotom, who was unable to avoid it due to the effects of 'Disable'. The blast pushed Rotom all the way to the back of the hall, where it collided with the wall and slumped to the floor. I took this opportunity to pull out my last empty Pokeball, and toss it at Rotom, who was pulled inside. Although the ball flashed and shook briefly, Rotom was too weak to escape, and the ball fell still.

Cheryl walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "That was wonderful Amber. Thank you for your help; things should go back to normal around here now."

After I retrieved my new Rotom, the three of us departed from the Old Chateau. Cheryl thanked me once more before parting ways with us. Lucas and I took some time to eat a bit more, allowing me to give Linoone his promised sandwich. After that, we continued to the edge of the forest and exited it, emerging into Eterna City. It was time for me to get another badge.

**Author's Note: **Whoo! Amber's got a full team of six Pokemon now. Just in time for her second Gym battle too. Hopefully Gardenia won't freak out if Amber used Rotom, even though she notorious as a scaredy cat. Thanks for reading.


	11. Gardenia's Greenery

Chapter 10: Gardenia's Greenery

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

After leaving the Eterna Forest, Lucas and I noticed that it was getting late. Fortunately, we were able to get into Eterna City before night fell completely. We immediately proceeded to the Pokemon Centre, and decided to stay the night, postponing my Gym battle until tomorrow. It was just as well, since I wanted my Pokemon to be fully rested before I made the challenge. Lucas remarked that I was in as much of a need for rest as the Pokemon were.

I left my Pokemon with Nurse Joy for the night, except for Eevee, who insisted on sleeping with me. In the morning I got them back with the news that they were all well rested and in good health. With approval from Nurse Joy, I let them all out into the lobby so they could join Lucas and I for breakfast. The exception was Rotom, as I had been informed by Joy that, being a Ghost-Type, he didn't eat like other Pokemon. However, his electrical properties did require the occasional recharge. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea to let him out near all the medical equipment anyways.

Cherubi and Eevee stood on the table to eat with Lucas and I, while Kirlia took a chair for himself. Linoone and Skarmory both had their food out of bowls on the floor, although Skarmory took to staying away from the others, wanting 'territory' for herself. While we were eating, Lucas and I watched other people come and go from the Pokemon Centre, but there was one in particular who came in that caught our attention.

She was wearing baggy orange shorts that looked they had their legs torn from a longer pair of pants. Instead of a normal top, she appeared to be wearing a green poncho, tied off at the front. Her hair was the same shade of orange as her shorts and she was wearing lime green boots. Accompanying her was a Pokemon that resembled a blue orb with round hands and feet attached. It also had a large red flower on its head, which I recognized as a Gloom.

This strange girl conversed briefly with Nurse Joy and then, for some reason, turned towards Lucas and I. Immediately her face lit up with an inane smile, and she rushed towards the table we were sitting at. To my surprise though, she wasn't interested in us, instead setting her sights on Cherubi. She picked him up into a deep, and somewhat painful looking hug.

"Oh, this Cherubi is so adorable!" she exclaimed. "I could just eat it up."

At the mention of the word 'eat', Cherubi's face turned pale, after which he wriggled out of the girl's grasp. He then ran across the table and hid behind me.

Before I had a chance to say anything to her, a torrent of speech came out of the girl's mouth. "That Cherubi is yours right?"

"Um, yes but..."

"Do you want to trade for it? It's so cute and in such great health. I have a lot of other Grass-Type Pokemon I could offer you for it."

"Excuse me miss, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I guess I got carried away again. My name is Gardenia. What's yours?"

"It's Amber. Also, Cherubi was the first Pokemon I ever caught on my own, so I'd rather not part with him."

"Aw, phooey."

"Hey Amber," cut in Lucas, "haven't we heard that name before?"

"Gardenia you mean?"

"Oh, so you've heard of me?"

"Yeah, Cheryl mentioned her yesterday. She was the one who had been scared to go investigate the Old Chateau."

Gardenia nearly fell over after hearing that comment. "You heard about that did you?" she said, a nervous smile on her face.

"Yeah, but it worked out pretty well for me. Turns out it was a Rotom causing the problems there, which I managed to catch. Wanna see?"

"Er, no thanks, I'm good."

Before our conversation could go any further, Gardenia broke away from it and looked off to my side. Curious, I turned to see what she was looking at, and saw the Gloom she had come in with rummaging around in my bag. It seemed to be looking for something, and Gardenia looked quite embarrassed.

"How many times have I told you not to go through other people's things, Gloom?" she exclaimed. "Sorry about that Amber, I think she saw that you guys were eating and wanted to join in."

Gloom did as Gardenia requested and stopped rummaging through my bag, but not before plucking something out of the side picket. I only had a moment to notice that it was my Leaf Stone before both it and Gloom were bathed in white light. What emerged from the light looked similar to Gloom, but the flower on her head was much more developed, and had also lost the shrivelled leaves underneath it. Gloom had evolved into a Vileplume.

Gardenia's expression seemed torn between horror and delight. She then turned to me with a very awkward expression. "Um... I don't what to say other than I'm sorry about that. Although, I'm kinda surprised you were carrying a Leaf Stone around like that."

"I got that at the Summer Festival in Floaroma Town. I actually kinda forgot I had it, since I didn't have any Pokemon that used it to evolve."

"Still, I feel kind of bad about Gloom, Vileplume rather, using it without permission. If you come to the Gym, I might be able to make it up to you."

"You're from the Gym? Sweet, you can take me there to challenge the Gym Leader."

"Why don't you just challenge me right here and now?"

"...You're the Gym Leader?"

Gardenia hung her head and sighed. "I guess Cheryl didn't mention that. Anyways, I accept your challenge, so let's go already."

I recalled all my Pokemon and packed up my gear before leaving the Pokemon Centre. Gardenia also recalled her Vileplume before leading me over to the Gym. Lucas came with us as well, saying that he had never seen an actual Gym battle before. When we reached the Gym, I noticed that on the outside it looked remarkably similar to the building that Roark's Gym had been.

Once we got inside though, I thought for a moment I was back in Eterna Forest. The inside of this Gym was filled with all manner of plant life, and was more or less one big garden. I noticed then that the roof was actually made of glass, making the Gym as warm as a greenhouse. There were several others in the Gym tending to the plant life, and with them were numerous Grass-Type Pokemon. They all welcomed us warmly, and got very excited when Gardenia told them her Gloom had evolved.

After the welcome, Gardenia led me to the middle of the Gym where I saw the arena marked out on the grass. Unlike the rest of the Gym, the arena itself actually had just short grass, which was a stark contrast to the rock filled arena at Roark's Gym. Gardenia and I took up positions on opposite sides of the arena, while one of the flower girls took up a place as the referee. Lucas stood close to the ref for a good view of the field.

"This will be an official Pokemon League Battle for the stakes of a Forest Badge," called the referee. "You will each use three Pokemon, and there will be no time limit."

"Good luck Amber," called Lucas.

"Thanks," I replied, although I felt luck wouldn't be necessary.

"I'll start things off with this," stated Gardenia. "Go Vileplume!"

"Then I'll go with Kirlia!"

We both tossed our Pokeballs into the arena, where our Pokemon appeared opposite each other. I was curious as to what kind of moves Gardenia would use, and had figured Kirlia's psychic defences would be the best way to find out. I was a little annoyed that she had chosen to use a Pokemon that had evolved thanks to my Leaf Stone, but didn't say anything.

"Let's get started," stated Gardenia, suddenly sounding more serious than she had seemed before. "Vileplume, let's see what she can do; use 'Absorb'!"

"Block it with 'Light Screen', Kirlia!" I called in response.

Vileplume lowered its head to reveal the top of its flower. She then fired a faint red beam from that flower straight at Kirlia. Kirlia stood ready and his eyes lit up with their usual psychic glow. The air in front of him seemed to solidify into a translucent silver plate. When the 'Absorb' beam hit the plate, it bounced off and dissipated harmlessly. After that, the 'Light Screen' faded away.

"Not bad kiddo," remarked Gardenia. "Vileplume, use 'Stun Spore' to keep it in place."

"Evade it with 'Teleport' and then use 'Confusion'."

Vileplume again lowered its flower, this time spraying a massive cloud of yellow coloured spores towards Kirlia. However, before they could make contact with him, Kirlia glowed with a soft white light and vanished, the spore cloud flowing past where he had been standing. He reappeared right behind Vileplume, immediately after which his eyes lit up with psychic energy. The same glow briefly surrounded Vileplume, who then began to wobble and spin on the spot.

"Finish it with Psybeam!"

Kirlia complied, and fired the rainbow coloured beams from her eyes at Vileplume from point blank range. The impact pushed the Grass Pokemon halfway across the arena before dissipating. Vileplume wobbled on the spot briefly before falling over backwards, its eyes spinning. Gardenia immediately recalled her as the referee declared her unable to continue battling.

"I was hoping the boost from evolving would give her an edge, but I guess its time to get serious. Go, Turtwig!"

The Pokemon that Gardenia sent out this time was a fair bit smaller than her Vileplume had been. It looked like a green tortoise with a brown shell, although there was also a small plant sprout growing out of its head. Unlike Vileplume, I was unfamiliar with this Pokemon, and had not seen it before. For that reason, I consulted my Pokedex. _'Turtwig: the Tiny Leaf Pokemon. The shell on its back is made of soil, and becomes harder when hydrated.'_

'That little thing shouldn't be much of a problem,' I thought to myself. After all, turtles were slow, and even if it was protected by a shell, Kirlia's psychic powers would be enough to get around that.

"Okay Turtwig, show her your 'Tackle'."

"Kirlia, use..."

However, before I could even finish my statement, Gardenia's Turtwig had made its move. It had moved so fast that I had barely been able to see it. Kirlia was taken by surprise as much as I was, and was stuck full on by the 'Tackle'. He was thrown clear across the arena, but just before he crossed the outside boundary, he used 'Teleport', and reappeared just in front of me. Gardenia's Turtwig had yet to move again.

"Good work Kirlia," I called. "Even if he's faster, you can use 'Teleport' to keep up with him."

"That was a pretty impressive save," stated Gardenia. "However, it won't be enough to keep up with real speed. Turtwig, 'Tackle' Kirlia once more."

Turtwig charged Kirlia once again using its impressive speed. As I had told him, Kirlia teleported himself to avoid the attack. However, Turtwig turned around mid charge and sped off in another direction. Kirlia began to re-materialize further down the arena, at which point Turtwig adjusted its direction to head right towards him. Kirlia had just barely finished rematerializing when Turtwig reached him, denying him the opportunity to teleport again. Kirlia was bowled over by Turtwig's charge, and was unable to get up afterwards.

"Kirlia is unable to continue," called the referee.

I recalled Kirlia and grumbled under my breath. I heard Eevee yip into my ear, indicating that she wanted to fight. Unfortunately, I had to hold her back. "Sorry Eevee, but you're not quite fast enough to keep up with that Turtwig. However, I have something that can: Go Linoone!"

Gardenia bore a curious expression as Linoone appeared. "An interesting choice. Do you think it'll be able to match my Turtwig though?"

"Only one way to find out," I replied. "Linoone, give it all you got and use 'Quick Attack'!"

"Turtwig, use 'Withdraw' and take the hit, I wanna see what she can do."

Upon hearing my command, Linoone growled and ran straight at Turtwig. In response, the turtle Pokemon tucked its head, legs and tail into its shell, and waited directly in Linoone's path. Linoone's movements were like a streak, and were at least equal to the speed Turtwig had displayed. I was glad that Gardenia had Turtwig stay in one place, since Linoone had little control running at this speed. He collided with Turtwig, but I was dismayed to see that the shell barely even moved from the impact. Immediately afterwards, Turtwig came back out of its shell to face Linoone.

"I see," called Gardenia. "It's got speed, but not enough power to get through Turtwig's shell. That's too bad, since that speed was rather impressive. Turtwig, use 'Grass Knot'. Make sure it hits."

"Get out of the way Linoone!"

Turtwig opened its mouth wide, which caused grass from the field to fly up and form into a ball. Linoone turned away from Gardenia's Pokemon and began to run in order to avoid the attack. Turtwig simply turned its head and launched the ball of grass. Turtwig's head swivel had been to compensate for Linoone's straight line movement, and the ball of grass struck him clean in the side. After that, it seemed to bog him down, preventing him from moving.

"Finish it with 'Razor Leaf'!"

Turtwig obliged and spun the leaf on its head, hurling numerous small, sharp leaves at Linoone. Being tied down by 'Grass Knot', Linoone was unable to avoid the attack, and was struck by every single leaf. I clenched my hands tightly, unsure of what I could do. Turtwig had beaten Linoone, which was the only Pokemon I had capable of matching its speed. I recalled Linoone and reached into my jacket. I fiddled with my Pokeballs for a moment, trying to decide what to do.

"You can feel free to back down any time," called Gardenia. "Seeing as how my fastest Pokemon just beat yours, what can you do?"

"I didn't give up against Roark and I'm not gonna give up here!" Eevee cooed her agreement with me, after which I pulled a Pokeball from my jacket. "If ground speed won't work, I'll take to the air. Go Skarmory!"

Upon emerging from her Pokeball, Skarmory let out a screech. She looked down at Gardenia's Turtwig with a menacing glare. Turtwig didn't seem afraid, but Gardenia's interest was piqued. "This should be interesting. Turtwig, use 'Tackle'!"

"Into the air Skarmory!"

Turtwig attempted to ram Skarmory, but came up short as Skarmory gave a heavy flap of her wings. This action not only launched Skarmory into the air, but also pushed Turtwig back, preventing it from jumping to hit her. It also gave me an idea of how to deal with Turtwig's speed, which would prevent Skarmory from landing a hit.

"Skarmory," I called, hoping to end it quickly. "Use 'Whirlwind'!"

"Turtwig, 'Withdraw' and hold your ground!" came Gardenia's response.

Turtwig once again pulled itself inside its shell to protect itself from the oncoming attack. At the same time, Skarmory began to flap her wings fiercely, generating gusts of wind with the force of her flaps. The wind picked up when it hit the ground near Turtwig, and with each successive flap the gusts grew stronger. Not only was the attack forceful enough to lift Turtwig off the ground, but it threw it across the Gym into the opposite wall.

The shell sunk to the ground, from which Turtwig emerged. Not only had it been thrown out of the arena, but the collision with the wall had knocked it out for a loop. Gardenia groaned audibly and recalled Turtwig, while Skarmory let out a fierce shriek of victory.

"Looks like it's time to bring out my ringer," stated Gardenia. "Go, Roserade!"

Gardenia's final Pokemon emerged below Skarmory. Its body was shaped like the stem of a plant, with a large leaf forming a cape on its back. Its arms also looked like stems, except that each ended in a triad of rose flowers; red on the right, blue on the left. Its head also resembled a rose, save that the petals were white. Gardenia had claimed that this Pokemon was her 'ringer', so I would have to be careful.

"Start off with 'Poison Sting' Roserade!"

Roserade held out his rose 'bouquets', which immediately fired a series of small, glowing needles towards Skarmory. However, upon striking Skarmory's metallic down, the needles scattered and dissipated, and Skarmory didn't even seem to notice she had been attacked. I smirked, remembering now that Skarmory's armour-like feathers made her almost immune to physical attack. It was my turn to attack now.

"Go Skarmory," I called, gesturing with a finger for emphasis. "Use a diving 'Fury Attack'!"

Skarmory screeched in response and then dove towards Roserade, folding her wings in for extra speed. She struck at Roserade with her beak as she passed him before rising into the air again. She repeated this three more times, each time causing Roserade to stagger. She remained in the air after her last pass, preventing Roserade from reaching her.

"Grr..., Roserade, use 'Petal Dance'!"

Roserade regained his balance and once again aimed its bouquets at Skarmory, this time including the one on his head. From each of these came a stream of rose petals in the corresponding colour of the bouquet they emerged from. However, even the torrent of flower petals couldn't scratch Skarmory, who took the hits without even flinching.

"Good Skarmory,' I called, knowing it was almost over. "Use 'Air Slash' and finish it off!"

Skarmory screeched once more, at which time one of the feathers in each of her wings took on a shimmering glow. She flap her wings fiercely, which threw the feathers clear and caused them to spin like saw blades. The blades flew at Roserade and crossed each other the moment they struck him. After that, the continued flying in a circular pattern and recoupled with Skarmory's wings. Roserade staggered from the attack, and then fell to the ground in defeat.

"Roserade is unable to battle," called the flower girl referee. "Gardenia is out of Pokemon, and the winner of this match is Amber!"

I let out a whoop and pumped my fist into the air to celebrate my victory. I allowed Skarmory one more victory shriek before returning her to her Pokeball. Gardenia also recalled her downed Roserade and ran over to my side of the arena. She patted me on the shoulder and pulled something from her poncho. It was a pin that bore the shape of three connected diamonds, each designed to look like a tree. This was the Forest Badge.

"I can't believe you were able to turn things around on me like that," stated Gardenia, presenting the badge to me. "You earned this, so I hope you'll wear it well."

"Thank you very much," I replied, taking the badge and pinning it to my vest next to the Coal Badge.

"That was pretty amazing Amber," said Lucas, walking over to join me. Eevee showed her agreement by licking my ear, which tickled and made me snicker.

Before leaving the Gym, Gardenia also presented me with two thousand Penz in prize money, and something else she hoped would made up for using my Leaf Stone. It was another stone, this one shaped like an oval. It was a very light shade of teal, with a white part in the middle that looked like an early morning sun. She had called it a 'Dawn Stone', and said that like the Leaf Stone it made certain Pokemon evolve. I thanked her for the gift, and continued on my way with Lucas.

**Author's Notes: **This chapter went on a little longer due to the three on three battle. Depending on how many Pokemon are in a battle, and what type of battle it is (Double, Single, Team, etc.), all chapters containing big battles will be rather varied in length.


	12. Precious Things

Chapter 11: Precious Things

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (much to my wallet's dismay)**

My victory over Gardenia had been my greatest achievement to date, but I still had a long way to go. She wished me well as I departed from her Gym with Lucas, at which time we returned to the Pokemon Centre to get Linoone and Kirlia treated. While Nurse Joy was taking care of the two of them, I took the opportunity to run some errands.

I had used the last of the five Pokeballs the Nurse Joy back in Jubilife had given me on Rotom, so I made a point to buy a few more. I stashed most of them in my bag, but placed one in my jacket so I could get at it easier if I needed to catch something. I also purchased some more curative items at the pharmacy, since I had gone through all of the initial supplies Uncle Chuck had bought for me. Lastly, Lucas and I both picked up some extra food supplies, since we were going to be on the road again.

While we were doing our shopping, I asked Lucas about where we should be heading next. According to him, the next Pokemon League Gym was located in a city called Hearthome. This was also the home of Pokemon Contests, which were like Beauty Pageants with a twist. They didn't interest me that much, but Lucas said that he wanted to go there to visit his mother, who was apparently a well known Coordinator.

Once we had finished with the errands, I picked up Linoone and Kirlia, both of whom had fully recovered. I bid farewell to Nurse Joy and thanked her before departing from the Pokemon Centre. After that, Lucas and I headed south out of Eterna, and were on our way once more. It would take us some time to make it to Hearthome City, but it didn't bother me any more, as I had grown used to travelling by now.

* * *

It had been three days since Lucas and I had left Eterna City, and our travels were going smoothly. Although I wanted to get to Hearthome and the next Gym as quickly as possible, there was one thing that I didn't hesitate to stop for: a Pokemon battle! I had encountered a trainer heading north along the same road Lucas and I were travelling south on, and had decided to get in some practice. Since she hadn't participated in the previous Gym battle, I decided to let Eevee have a turn.

The other Trainer had sent out a Doduo, which was a Flying-Type Pokemon. Oddly enough, it was completely incapable of flight. It had long, thin legs underneath a round, fuzzy body. It's most striking feature though was the fact that it had two heads, although they both looked the same. Each head was on a thin neck and had a long beak, both of which looked pretty sharp.

Doduo was at least three feet taller than Eevee, standing about even with me. However, being at a size disadvantage would also give Eevee the advantage in mobility, so it evened out. "Eevee, start off with a 'Headbutt'!"

"Doduo, fend it off with 'Fury Attack'!" called the other Trainer.

Eevee cooed at me and ran straight towards the enemy Doduo. In response, it let out a cry and began pecking at Eevee, alternating between its two heads. Eevee had to break off her charge to avoid the attack, but at the same time was caught between the pair of heads. They ceased their alternation and attacked her together, each catching her in one side with a beak. Eevee yelped loudly, which made me wince and hope she wasn't badly hurt.

Eevee hopped back, but staggered a bit as she landed, although she quickly regained her footing. "Looks like it's over Doduo," called the trainer. "Finish it with another 'Fury Attack'."

"Eevee," I called. "Stay low and use 'Quick Attack'."

Doduo ran forward and lowered its head to peck at Eevee once again. However, this time Eevee sped right past Doduo, underneath its legs. Both heads attempted to strike Eevee as she passed underneath, but instead they struck each other. Eevee turned around and prepared to attack Doduo again, but instead was met with the sight of its two heads squawking and pecking at each other. The other trainer let out a disappointed sigh and recalled Doduo.

"How come you're giving up?" I asked, walking to pick up Eevee.

"Once Doduo starts fighting with itself, I've never been able to get it to stop. Unfortunately I have a lot of work to do. Your Eevee must be in great shape though, to take an attack from both heads at once and still stand afterwards."

Eevee yipped happily at the compliment. "Thanks," I replied on her behalf. "Hopefully if we battle again I can win without such an anticlimax."

The trainer chuckled weakly and then headed off down the road. I stroked Eevee and turned to Lucas. "Eevee may seem alright, but I'd like to get her checked out to make sure. Is there a Pokemon Centre nearby?"

Lucas fiddled with his electronic map for a moment and then nodded to me. "There should be one a little further down the road. About a ten minute walk I'd say."

"Sweet, let's go."

We were in no hurry to reach the nearby Pokemon Centre, since Eevee seemed well enough. We walked along at a moderate pace and took a bit of enjoyment from the nice weather. However, when we came into sight of the Pokemon Centre, something else caught my eye. On the side of the road there was a small figure staggering forward. As Lucas and I looked on, it reached the middle of the road and collapsed onto its front.

Lucas and I wasted no time heading over to see what had happened. I handed Eevee to him and bent down to check what we now saw was a Pokemon. It looks like a small, purple skinned imp with small, spiky protrusions on its elbows and knees. I turned it over, and was remarked to see that, in place of eyes, a pair of large gemstones were set in its face. I pulled out my Pokedex to check what it was.

_'Sableye: The Darkness Pokemon. This Pokemon usually lives in dark caves and feeds on stones and earth. Due to the way it digests minerals, gemstones form as part of its body.'_

"Hey Amber," said Lucas, bending down next to me. "Something is off about this Sableye. Check the picture in the Pokedex."

I did as Lucas said, and saw what he was talking about. The image displayed showed Sableye to have a red stone in its abdomen, but this one's was missing. Instead, there was only a dark hole, with rough tearing around it. It only look me a moment to realize that the stone must have been ripped out by something, and that it had seriously wounded the Pokemon.

Without saying anything to Lucas, I grabbed Sableye up into my arms and dashed to the Pokemon Centre. I flung the doors open and ran up to the counter. "Nurse Joy, this Pokemon is seriously hurt!"

Without stopping to ask any questions, Nurse Joy placed the Pokemon on a small stretcher and, with Chansey's help, carried it into the back room. By now Lucas had made it inside, and I gestured for him to come along as I followed Nurse Joy. Back here, the Pokemon Centre actually looked like a hospital, with all manner of patient beds and medical equipment. Normally I would have been more intrigued, but right now all I could think about was that wounded Sableye.

Lucas and I approached a door with an Emergency sign above it, but were stopped by another Chansey. It directed us to sit on a bench and wait. While we were waiting, Lucas told me that he had seen footprints leading deep into the forest, indicating that it had walked quite a distance with that wound. We wondered what could have caused such a serious wound, as neither of us had actually seen a Pokemon hurt that badly before.

After half an hour of waiting, the sign above the door went off, and Nurse Joy emerged. However, instead of her usual cheerful demeanour, this one bore a rather stern expression. "I want to know exactly what happen to this Sableye, now!"

I was startled by the tone of Nurse Joy, as I had become familiar with her as being kind and gentle. Fortunately, Lucas covered for my hesitation. "Hold on before you accuse Amber of anything. We just found this Sableye outside the Pokemon Centre, it's not hers."

After Lucas spoke, I felt a bit of relief and was able to find my voice. "We were on our way here to get my Eevee checked after a battle, when we saw Sableye come out of the forest. Apparently it walked quite some distance with that wound before it collapsed on the road."

Nurse Joy let out a sigh. "That Sableye was very lucky, its wound was dreadful. I managed to patch it up, but it will be some time before it can recover from the shock. Inflicting that kind of injury on a Pokemon or allowing it to go that far during battle is more than reason enough to suspend a Trainer's license, at the very least."

"Frankly I agree with you; I'm appalled that such a thing like that could happen at all."

"Alright, don't beat yourself up about it. That Sableye will recover and it likely has you to thank for that. As for that wound, it didn't look like the kind of injury a Pokemon would normally receive in battle anyways. I hope you'll forgive me for being accusative."

"It's alright; you were concerned for its well being, like we were."

"Still, I wonder what could have caused that kind of injury."

"Perhaps the jewel has something to do with it."

"You're right! The wound I patched was right where you would normally find the red stone on a Sableye's stomach."

"There's one other thing I find strange," I remarked. "My Pokedex said Sableye were cave dwelling Pokemon, but this one came out of the forest."

"Well, I know there are Sableye living in the caves west of here, but I've never seen one leave before. Maybe whatever forced it out also caused that wound."

Our conversation was interrupted by a loud crash from the direction of the front of the Pokemon Centre. Lucas, Nurse Joy and I ran out of the back area to see what had happened. We were met with the sight of two men dressed in dark clothing who appeared to be scouting out the front area of the Centre. It seemed that they had kicked in the door hastily, and were talking between themselves.

"The trail ended just outside this place, so it must have been brought in here," said the first.

"This is a bad idea, charging into a Pokemon Centre is a sure way to get caught," replied the other.

"Look, it took us forever to coax that one out of the caves, and we don't have time to go looking for another one. Besides, it looks like there's just the nurse and a couple of kids here, so there shouldn't be any trouble."

"What on earth do you two think you're doing?" demanded Nurse Joy.

"We came here to take back our Sableye if you don't mind. Hand it over and there won't be any trouble."

"Certainly not, that Sableye is in critical condition and needs to remain in my care. Wait, I recognize you two; Officer Jenny showed me a wanted ad for you. You're jewel thieves!"

"Wait," I cut in, "does that mean these two hurt that Sableye just to get the jewels from its body? That's horrible."

"It was less obvious than robbing another store when we got people looking for us. Now, are you gonna hand it over or are we gonna have to get rough on you?" Upon saying this, each of the thieves pulled out a Pokeball and readied to throw them.

Lucas and I exchanged a look and nodded to each other. Lucas placed Eevee with Nurse Joy while the two of us stepped forward to meet the thieves. I pulled out Skarmory's Pokeball, while Lucas plucked one of his own from his belt. Upon thinking back about it, I realized this was the first time I had seen him do so. Even faced with the dangerous situation, I couldn't help but feel curious about what kind of Pokemon he had.

The elder criminal sneered at us. "We ain't afraid of a pair of kids. Go Mightyena!"

The other one called out his Pokemon as well. "Go, Raticate!"

The Pokemon unleashed by the first criminal resembled a large wolf. It had silver and black fur, and cruel looking red eyes. The other was a sizable brown rat with white fur on its belly and face. Large, sharp fangs were position on both its upper and lower jaws. The two Pokemon growled fiercely at us, and looked rather menacing. However, I wasn't intimidated and from his looks, neither was Lucas. We both hurled our Pokeballs out as well, Lucas calling 'Go Magmar!'

Skarmory appeared alongside Lucas' Pokemon, which was a sight to behold by itself. It was humanoid in shape, but its skin was red and yellow and scaly, giving it the appearance of a salamander. Its face was marked by a duck-like bill, and a furrowed brow. Heat seemed to radiate off its body, causing the air around it to shimmer. It also had a flame on the tip of its tail, radiating heat in a similar fashion.

The two thieves seemed taken aback at the sight of our Pokemon, but weren't ready to give up. "Go Mightyena, use 'Crunch' on that Magmar!"

"You too Raticate, hit that Skarmory with 'Hyper Fang'!"

"'Fire Punch'!" called Lucas.

"'Steel Wing', Skarmory!"

Mightyena and Raticate charged at our Pokemon, both of them baring their fangs. Magmar's fist became wreathed in red flames, while Skarmory's wings gained a silvery glow. Mightyena leapt at Magmar, but before it could make use of its jaws, it was struck in the side of the head by the 'Fire Punch', and thrown off to the side. It didn't get back up. Raticate attempted to attack Skarmory the same way, but instead caught its fangs on Skarmory's left wing. Skarmory proceeded to slam her right wing into Raticate's head, cracking its fangs as it fell loose of the other wing. It didn't get up either.

The criminals seemed horrified that their Pokemon had been defeated so easily, and turned to flee from the Pokemon Centre. Upon turning around, they were met with Chansey standing in front of them. Before they could make another move, Chansey jabbed each of them in the leg with a syringe, which caused them to become dizzy and collapse in a heap. Once they were out cold, Nurse Joy proceeded to tie them securely before calling the police.

Within the hour, the police arrived, led by a pair of Officer Jenny. Officer Jenny was a mystery similar to Nurse Joy, as all of her relatives bore the same name and looked exactly the same. They had long, blue-green hair that stuck out behind their head and neck, as well as a curly coif in front of their face. They were also wearing identical police uniforms.

After a bit of questioning, the officers hauled the two thieves off. Afterwards, Joy told us that she had recovered Sableye's jewel from them. If she could reattach it back in place, the recovery would be much easier. She also told us that she had treated the two Pokemon the thieves had used. She planned on retraining them and finding better Trainers to care for them. She also had checked out Eevee and told me she was doing fine.

With all the excitement from that day, Lucas and I decided to take a break and spent the night at the Pokemon Centre. Before we left the next morning, Nurse Joy told me that she has successfully replaced Sableye's jewel, and then asked me if I wanted to look after it once it had recovered. I accepted of course, which Joy was pleased to hear, and told me she would place it in the storage system for me once its recovery was complete.

While we were walking down the road, a thought occurred to me, and I turned to Lucas to address it. "Say Lucas, that was the first time I've seen you use that Magmar, or any Pokemon for that matter. Did you have it with you the whole time we've been traveling together?"

"Yeah I've had it for a while," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Is there any particular reason you saw fit not to use it while Skarmory was attacking us at Valley Windworks?"

Lucas let out a strange gulping noise and chuckled weakly, "Well; you seemed rather keen on doing it for yourself so..."

I had no intention of letting him live that one down, and looked forward to being able to tease him about it.

**Author's Notes: **My original version of this chapter had the Sableye's wound bleeding. My logic was that Pokemon, being living (and in most cases, organic) creatures, could bleed in the same fashion that they could break horns, bones and teeth, as well as be poisoned, burned and paralyzed. However, in retrospect it did not seem appropriate, considering the generally light nature of this story, so I removed it.


	13. Fossil Frenzy

Chapter 12: Fossil Frenzy

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns Pokemon, but once I work my way up their corporate ladder...**

It turned out that being given the offer to look after Sableye would work to my advantage. Lucas told me that the Gym Leader in Hearthome specialized in Ghost-Type Pokemon. Although Sableye was a Ghost-Type itself, it was also a Dark-Type, which would give it an advantage. Rotom would also be helpful, so long as I could control it during the battle. It seemed to have a bit of dislike towards me for interrupting its practical jokes at the Old Chateau. Still, it would be a while before Lucas and I reached Hearthome City, so I had time to work on it.

Presently, Lucas noted that the two of us were approaching the Coronet mountain range. We would have to pass under it in order to reach Hearthome. He also noted that we were just north of the Oreburgh area, where there was a well made pass under the mountain that was supposedly the easiest way through. Lucas asked if I was okay with taking a detour to Oreburgh City, as he wanted to pay a visit to the mining museum. I had no objections, since visiting Oreburgh would give me a chance to say hi to Roark again, and also to see if Robert was still hanging around.

The terrain grew rockier as we got closer to the city. I also noted that the mine inside the city limits wasn't the only one around, as we passed several tunnel openings throughout the area. Just as we were about to enter the city, a familiar figure emerged from one of the tunnels. Upon seeing me, Roark smiled and walked over to Lucas and I, setting down a pickaxe near a mound of earth.

"Hey there Amber," he said, a hint of surprise in his tone. "I wasn't expecting to see you back here for a long time."

"Well, we were planning on using the Oreburgh underpass to cross under Mount Coronet and get to Hearthome City."

"I see; are you going for the contests, or another Gym Badge?"

"Gym badge of course," I said. I also flashed him the inside of my vest to show off my Forest Badge. "This one will be my third."

"Congrats on beating Gardenia. Despite being a scaredy-cat, she's an excellent trainer. Now, who's this friend of yours?"

"My name is Lucas sir," he replied, shaking Roark's hand. "Nice to meet you. I met Amber a while ago and we've been traveling together since."

"Oh? Are you a trainer as well; because I've been itching for another good match."

"I'm a trainer yes, but I don't plan on competing in the League. I'm actually working as an assistant to Professor Rowan right now. I decided to travel with Amber because I figured following a trainer would take me all over Sinnoh."

"Sorry to cut in Roark," I began, "but I was wondering if Robert was still here in Oreburgh."

"That kid with the Bronzor? No, he left here about a week ago. Not before beating me in a Gym Match though. He wanted to make sure I told you that if I saw you again."

"Thanks, it's nice to know he's doing alright. I take it you helped him with his training?"

"Maybe a little. So, you planning to head straight through to Hearthome?"

"Actually we came here as a bit of a detour," said Lucas. "I wanted to see the mining museum."

"I see. I'll be sure to give you the grand tour. That reminds me; Amber, when you come to the Museum, make sure you have an extra space in your party."

Immediately after saying this, Roark ran off towards the city. I looked at Lucas, but he shrugged, seemingly just as confused as I was. Still, the two of us walked into the city and headed towards the Pokemon Centre. We were greeted warmly by Nurse Joy, who I asked about the Pokemon Storage System. She directed me to a computer terminal along the right hand wall, and told me I would need my Trainer ID to use it. Other than that, it was apparently simple to use with on screen instructions.

As I approached the terminal, I noticed it was a bit different than a usual personal computer. It's tower looked like a blue pole with an indention just above the height of my waist. It held a slot sized to fit a Pokeball beneath what looked like a small laser. The screen was shaped like an oval, with a small insert just below it. I figured that this was where I inserted by Trainer ID card, which I plucked out of my wallet.

I slipped my card into the slot, at which time the terminal hummed to life. The screen lit up, and began with a greeting of 'Welcome Amber'. After that, it switched to a display of several options; 'Withdraw', 'Deposit', 'Check Status' and 'Exit'. I started by touching the 'Withdraw' panel, but a message flashed on screen. 'Trainer Amber is already carrying the limit of six Pokemon. Pokemon must be deposited before withdrawal can be made.'

After the message, the display returned to the original three options. I tapped 'Deposit', at which time another prompt came onto the screen. 'Place Pokeball in receptacle.' I plucked Linoone's Pokeball from the inside of my vest, expanded it, and placed it on the slot I mentioned before. A 'Please Wait' message came up on the screen, as it began to hum loudly. I watched as the small laser emitted bolts of energy at the Pokeball, which eventually began to glow and then disappeared.

Looking back to the screen, I saw the prompt flash a few times before switching to a 'Deposit Successful' message. The screen once again returned to the main menu and, out of curiosity, I pressed the 'Check Status' panel. The display switched to a grid like appearance and in the first two grids were small sprites with the appearance of Pokemon. The first one looked like Sableye, so I pressed it. The image of the Pokemon was enlarged, and several bits of information accompanied it. Apparently Sableye had been placed in the Storage System about three hours ago.

After fiddling with the computer a bit more to get the hang of it, I tapped the 'Exit' panel, which cause the machine to shut down and spit my card back out. I retrieved it and replaced it in my wallet, before rejoining Lucas, who had been watching me with amusement for the past while. Apparently he had been using the system for some time now, and was amused that it was my first time. After a bit of laughing, the two of us departed from the Pokemon Centre and headed towards the mining museum.

The Oreburgh Mining Museum was just up the street from the Pokemon Centre, although it was nestled along the edge of a rock face. The building itself was shaped like an 'L', with a wing branching off from the main building along the right hand side. The entrance was shaped like cylinder with a dome on top, with a revolving door in the centre. Lucas stopped to admire the building itself, but joined me in entering after a little prodding.

The first thing I saw upon entering the museum was a giant slab of what appeared to be rock. However, a small plate in front of the slab marked it as 'Raw Coal'. I couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle at the size of it, while Lucas commented that a really strong Pokemon would have had to lift it in. The other exhibits varied from historical mining tools to fossil displays. In one of them I spotted the fossil I had accidentally found in the mine, labelled as 'Claw Fossil; Anorith – Found by Amber'.

Right when I was looking at that fossil, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and looked back to see Roark hovering behind me. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked.

"I guess," was my reply. "The recognition on the fossil was nice, but I was never a history buff. I like to think I'm pretty up to snuff on the now though."

"Well, this place is more than a museum. It also happens to be the leading fossil research lab in Sinnoh, which is what's in the east wing. That reminds me..."

Roark trailed off as he began to rummage through his jacket. After a moment he removed his hand, in which he was holding a Pokeball. He held it out to me and I instinctively raised my hands, into which he placed it. I looked at it curiously and then looked back to him. He simply smiled, anticipating my next question.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Well, remember how I told you about fossil regeneration?"

"Yeah, that's where your Cranidos came from. Why?"

"Well, turns out that fossil you found had enough genetic material to pull the same trick. Since you found the fossil, I figured it was only fair that the Pokemon created from it go to you."

I was dumbfounded for a moment, and then a smile spread across my face. The announcement that I had just received a revived fossil Pokemon was enough to pull Lucas away from the exhibits. I tossed the Pokeball to the floor to release the Pokemon. It looked like a large, gray shellfish, with four red and white appendages on either side of its body that looked like feathers. It also had a pair of claw-like mandibles extending from the front of its head. At first I thought its eyes were a pair of red markings on the top of its head, but they were actually extending from either side like antennae.

I plucked my Pokedex out to see if there was any information. _'Anorith: The Old Shrimp Pokemon. It moves through the sea by undulating the 'wings' on the side of its body, and used its sharp claws to catch prey.'_

I watched Anorith scuttle about the floor for a few moments, feeling around with its claws. I knelt down and rubbed the back of its shell, which was very smooth. It seemed to like this, and tapped me with its claws in response. Shortly after it began to crawl up my arm, but Eevee didn't seem to like this and yipped loudly at it. I chuckled and set it back on the floor.

"Thanks Roark," I said, "this is pretty cool."

"No problem," he replied. "Like I said, you found it."

"Would I be able to make a sketch of it?" asked Lucas, already reaching into his bag for his sketchbook.

Before I could give a definite answer, a loud sound reached my ears from outside the building. It sounded like the engine of a motorcycle, but I wasn't sure. Before I could determine it for certain, it was replaced by a loud crash, which caused people to run outside the building. Roark, who immediately knew the crash had come from the research wing, ran towards it. Lucas and I followed after him, the crash giving away who was responsible.

When we reached the research wing we saw numerous scattered desks and machines, surrounding a hole in the far wall with a mangled motorcycle in the middle. The bike's rider had just picked herself up from the crash, and removed her helmet. She stumbled forward a bit, and I stepped forward to 'greet' her. After she regained her balance, our eyes met and our gazes locked.

"You again!" we both declared together. "How odd that we should meet again under such circumstances."

"Save it," I retorted, "what are you doing here?"

"I came here because my employer would likely have an interest in the technique of reviving fossils to create Pokemon. Since you're here, it gives me an opportunity to get the Eevee he's been wanting as well."

"What does he want those for?"

"None of your business. Go Porygon," she called, hurling her Pokeball.

I wondered why she chose the same Pokemon she had lost with last time, but shrugged it off. "Time for some payback Eevee."

Eevee cooed determinedly and hopped down from my shoulder to face the synthetic Pokemon. It looked back at her, floating there without so much as blinking. I found it rather creepy, but chose to ignore that fact. Instead, I nodded to Eevee to encourage her.

"Go Eevee, 'Tackle' that thing!"

"Nice try, but it's time to use a trick I missed the opportunity to display before. Porygon, use 'Conversion'."

Porygon's body seemed to become pixelated, which caused all of us to stop and stare. When the pixelation ceased, Porygon's body had changed from its previous appearance. It still held the same shape, but was now a flat brown colour all over. Its texture also seemed to be rougher. Eevee continued her 'Tackle' nonetheless, but when she collided with Porygon, she was thrown backwards as though she had hit a brick wall.

"Eevee!" I called, running to scoop her up. "Are you alright?" She cooed weakly in response, which I was glad for.

Linda let out a cackle. "Porygon's 'Conversion' allows it to take on the properties of other Pokemon types. In this case, a Rock-Type's defences, rendering your Eevee's attacks useless. Just to be safe though, use 'Harden'!"

Porygon's body shimmered in the light and seemed to take on a bright sheen. I looked to Lucas for help, but he was busy pulling damaged equipment away from the crash scene while Roark and his Pokemon were stamping out several small fires. It looked like I would have to come up with something on my own, when I felt a scratching at my leg. I looked down to see Anorith moving past me to stand before Porygon. This gave me an idea, which I hoped would work.

"What exactly do you plan to do with that shrimp?" asked Linda quizzically.

"There's one thing harder than rock Linda," I taunted. "Anorith, use 'Metal Claw'!"

Anorith's forward mandibles began to shine and took on a metallic colour. Anorith leapt at Porygon with incredible force and slashed the other Pokemon hard and fast before falling back to the floor. Porygon was thrown backwards and pixelated again, returning to its original colour scheme just before colliding with Linda and throwing them both back out the hole in the wall they created. I turned my attention back to Lucas and Roark, who were just coming back to join up with me, having dowsed the fires and salvaged the equipment.

"Nice work Amber," said Lucas, patting me on the back.

"No problem," I replied, "getting rid of her is a pleasure. How are you guys?"

"We're pretty good," replied Roark. "The damage was minimal, aside from some paperwork which is all backed up somewhere. Unfortunately now we have to close this place down to conduct repairs. Sorry about having to cut your visit short."

Lucas and I left the museum shortly after that and returned to the Pokemon Centre. Nurse Joy patched the bump on Eevee's head from her collision with Porygon, and all of us proceeded to have dinner before staying the night. The following morning, Roark showed up to escort us to the Oreburgh Underpass, which would take us almost straight to Hearthome City. My next Gym challenge was just around the corner.

* * *

"Linda," called a deep, gruff voice, "would you care to provide your latest status report?"

"Um, yes boss," came Linda's voice in response. "I recently attempted to procure some valuables from the Mining Museum in Oreburgh."

"Oreburgh? What there do you think could possibly be of value to me?"

"In the museum they have technology which is used to revive Pokemon from fossils. I figured that would be useful to you."

The gruff voice sighed loudly; "I suppose this is my fault for not mentioning it. However, the fact of the matter is that my research is what led to the development of that technology. I have no use for it now. Do you have anything else to report?"

"Yes actually; I managed to find an Eevee that has not yet undergone evolution."

"Oh? And what became of this Eevee?"

"Unfortunately I was not able to separate it from its trainer."

"I see. Eevee is one of the corner stones of my current research, and non-evolved specimens are extremely hard to come by. I wish for you to continue your pursuit."

"Yes sir."

"What of our other project, Lee?"

A glint of light off a pair of glasses revealed the newcomer's presence. "Of course sir. Our research has revealed no fewer than three sightings over the past ten years, although it is difficult to say if any of them come from reliable witnesses. Even so, I would like to pursue all possible leads."

"You may proceed."

"Show off," grumbled Linda before storming out of the room.

"Honestly sir, why do you employ someone as incompetent as her?"

"Because she's cheap, persistent and, most importantly, cannot be traced back to me. I can't afford to be associated with a thief, even if it is necessary for my plans. Now then, you have your orders. I expect you not to disappoint me."

"Of course sir," replied Lee with a quick bow, before turning and leaving the room after Linda.

**Author's Notes: **The plot thickens and the Boss speaks. What's he planning though, and why does he need Eevee?


	14. Fantastic Phantasms

Chapter 13: Fantastic Phantasms

**Disclaimer: I now officially own Pokemon! Muahahaha gurk... Sorry about that, my evil twin was trying to get me in trouble. I don't own Pokemon.**

In terms of construction, the Oreburgh Underpass through Mt. Coronet was similar to the Oreburgh Gate I had passed through with Uncle Chuck and Robert. The major difference this time was that the passage was much longer. Still, we passed through it without much incident, and when we came out the other side, we were able to see Hearthome City on the horizon. It was almost as big as Jubilife City. Almost.

Once we had cleared the tunnel, Roark wished me luck and then started on his way back to Oreburgh. Lucas and I walked hurriedly across the distance between the edge of the mountain and the city, since both of us were eager to reach that destination. I wanted to head straight to the Gym, but Lucas had other ideas. He wanted to prioritize going to the Contest Hall. He convinced me by noting that, aside from seeing his mother, Fantina herself was likely to be there. This was because she was known for being a coordinator as much as she was a Gym Leader.

While walking through Hearthome, I noticed that it was a bit more... colourful than Jubilife City. Considering that Pokemon Contests were the main draw of the city, it wasn't that surprising. There also seemed to be a lot of beauty parlours, designer clothing stores and other such things. Frankly, I was beginning to think I wanted to get out of this city as fast as possible.

Despite my disinterest in Pokemon Contests, I couldn't help but marvel a bit at the hall in which they took place. The building was a large, domed structure that almost looked like a Colosseum. Not even the Pokemon Gyms were built as grandly as this place. Then again, it was supposed to stand for visual appeal, and big is usually appealing when it comes to buildings. After taking a minute or so to appreciate the architecture, Lucas and I entered the Hall itself.

As soon as we were inside, I was tempted to immediately turn around and go back out. I had thought the outside was flamboyant enough, but the inside was bordering on ridiculous. Between the streamers, ribbons and frills, the place almost looked like a circus. And that's to say nothing of the people in the hall, many of whom were wearing outfits like those I had noticed in shops throughout the city.

"Say Lucas," I said, grabbing his shoulder, "how are we gonna find your mom in this mob?"

"I called and left a message for mother at the last Pokemon Centre," he replied. "She should know we're here."

As if on cue, two people emerged from the mob in front of us, once of whom immediately ran up and embraced Lucas, which I assumed to be his mother. I was able to get a better look at her when she stepped back, and was a bit relieved. Compared to some of the other people here, she was dressed rather simply, in a nice green gown tied in the back with a large, light green ribbon. Her hair was also simple but, if nothing else, a bit 'large' for my taste, and was the same colour as that of her son.

The person who was with Lucas' mother on the other hand, was anything simple. She was wearing a massive, ballooned out purple dress covered in sparkles and pinned with a large, yellow 'X'. She was wearing purple high heels and white gloves that reached past her elbows. Her hair was, by my standards at least, completely absurd. It was four large pigtails that looks like Christmas lights arranged like a windmill. I was rendered speechless at the sight of her.

"So, you must be the son Johanna tells me so much about," stated the strange woman, addressing Lucas. Her voice had an accent I couldn't quite pin down. "It is so nice of you to come out and visit your mother like this."

"Yes Lucas, I do appreciate the visit," said Johanna. "Now, why don't you introduce me to this lovely friend of yours?"

"Sure thing; this is Amber," said Lucas, gesturing at me. "I met her while I was travelling for Professor Rowan's research and we decided to stick together."

"Ah, that Eevee she is carrying is just darling," stated the strange woman. "She is rather pretty herself, but that outfit is simply horrible. If she wants to win at the Contests, she must change into something nicer, oui?"

"We? What?" was all I managed before I found the strange woman dragging me towards the changing rooms.

"Do not worry, Fantina, the contest expert, will be of help to you."

"Whoa, wait, you say you're Fantina?" I blurted out, at the same time managing to free myself from her grasp.

"Oui, I am Fantina. I take it you have heard of moi?"

"You're the Hearthome City Gym Leader aren't you?"

"This is also true, although my first love will always be the stage. Ah, tres bien."

I found Fantina's speech to be a tad bit confusing. "Anyways, I challenge you to a Gym battle! I wish to compete for your official Sinnoh League badge!"

"Oh, so you did not come here for the contests?"

"No, I didn't."

"So it is. Very well, I accept your challenge, but there is a condition I have first."

"What might that be?"

"A Pokemon Battle, much like a dance, is a grand performance. I cannot have you showing up for a performance in such dreadful attire."

"What?"

* * *

Thankfully Fantina was willing to spare me the embarrassment of walking around outside in a 'performance' outfit. She escorted Lucas, Johanna and I to the Gym first, allowing me to change inside. This Gym was almost as bad as the Contest Hall, with bleachers surrounding the arena, spotlights and floodlights above it and a mirror ball in the middle of the ceiling. I was glad that Lucas and his mother were the only ones in those bleachers, for if there had been more people I might have died of embarrassment. It was bad enough as they watched me approach the arena.

I had been spared one of Fantina's outfits in favour of something Johanna had kept from when she was younger. This was necessary as I did not own anything that Fantina considered 'performance worthy', let alone carry it with me from home. It was a relatively simple, flared red gown adorned with a yellow sash and orange ribbon. Johanna had recommended it because she figured I would prefer the fire motif to anything else she owned, not that I really understood what a 'motif' was. I was still wearing my Fedora, as I had refused to remove it, nor had I done anything with my hair.

"Ah," cried Fantina as I stood at the other end of the arena, "this is so much better than those gad rags you were wearing before, non?"

"No," came my curt reply. "Let's just get this over with so I can change."

"Such inelegance." Lucas snickered at this comment, but a glare from me silenced him. "Oh well, little to do about that. This battle shall be two on two, bien?"

"Fine by me."

Without further chitchat, Fantina drew a Pokeball out from somewhere in her dress and tossed it into the arena. The Pokemon that appeared reminded me of her dress, as it looked like a large, purple balloon with a yellow 'X' in the middle of its face. It had four white 'arms' extending from its lower body tipped with yellow 'fingers' that looked pointy. _'Drifblim, the Blimp Pokemon. Swarms of them are carried aloft on winds. When they are seen before dusk, they suddenly disappear.'_

"Alright, let's do this," I said, pulling out a Pokeball. "Go, Rotom!"

As I moved to throw my Pokeball, I stumbled over the hem of the dress, nearly falling over and eliciting more snickering from the 'audience'. Rotom appeared in the middle of the arena opposite Drifblim, where it floated restlessly, flitting back and forth constantly. Drifblim seemed to bob up and down in the air, although this seemed less a gesture of impatience and more a result of the air moving. It was a balloon after all.

"Drifblim, let us begin with 'Ominous Wind', oui?" stated Fantina, gesturing dramatically.

"Rotom, use 'Thundershock'!" I called in response.

Rotom began to swing its small appendages around in circles, hurling a bolt of electricity at Drifblim. It responded by shifting back slightly to reveal its bottom. It briefly inflated itself and then deflated, spewing out a mass of black and purple coloured air. Rotom's electricity was caught up in the blast of wind and was smothered. The wind came in contact with Rotom, who was unable to do anything because of its miniscule mass. Rotom was thrown spinning backwards it managed to stop short of the edge of the arena, but seemed rather dizzy.

"Rotom, use 'Double Team' to surround and close in on it!"

"Drifblim, blow them all away with an elegant 'Whirlwind'!"

Rotom shook off its dizziness and then proceeded to flit around the arena in a circular pattern around Drifblim. It was moving so fast that there appeared to be a dozen Rotoms surrounding Drifblim. As the Rotoms circled Fantina's Pokemon, they gradually tightened the circle to close the distance between them. When they were nearly on top of it, Drifblim began to spin its body around on the spot, creating a miniature tornado inside the arena.

"Rotom, use 'Trick' to change places."

"It does not matter where your Pokemon is if all of its images are blown away."

From out of the tornado surrounding Drifblim the images of Rotom were thrown, each disappearing in a puff of smoke. The tornado died down as Drifblim slowed its spinning to a halt. However, Rotom was nowhere to be seen. Fantina seemed confused, but if the Trick had worked, Rotom would be exactly where I wanted him.

"Where is your Pokemon?" questioned Fantina, puzzled.

"Rotom, show her where you are with a 'Discharge'!"

As I issued the command, Drifblim began to crackle to electricity and expand outwards. It continued expanding until it was more than double its original size. Rotom flew out of its underside with a flash and a zap, causing it to stop crackling. Drifblim, no longer being pumped full of electricity, began to deflate, which caused it to putter around the arena with a loud, intermittent whooshing noise. When it finally deflated fully, it sank to the ground, shrivelled from the ordeal.

"My goodness," remarked Fantina, raising her Pokeball and recalling Drifblim. "That was a dazzling display miss Amber, bravo. Now, let us see how you handle the star of the show. Go, Mismagius!"

Fantina's second Pokemon also bore a resemblance to her, but for a different reason. Its body looked like a billowing purple dress with a pink hem. At the middle of its body were three large, ruby coloured gems. Its head seemed small, but only because it was dwarfed by what appeared to be a large hat. This 'hat' was the same colour as its body, and was anointed by several pink spikes. _'Mismagius; the Magical Pokemon. Its cries sound like incantations. While most of these are used to torment enemies, that can also be used to bring happiness to friends.'_

I was a bit unnerved, as my Pokedex had provided an entry somewhat gloomier than I was used to. Even so, I wasn't going to let that stop me. "Go Rotom, use 'Astonish'."

"Mismagius, stop that little pest with your 'Mean Look'."

Rotom began to charge forward at Mismagius, spinning its appendages. Mismagius did not make any sort of move in response. Instead, its eyes turned jet black, at which time the projection of a massive pair of malevolent yellow eyes appeared directly in front of Rotom's path, staring him down. Upon being met with this horrific gaze, Rotom stopped dead in its tracks and shivered on the spot, as though some invisible force was holding it in place.

"Now, take care of it with 'Psywave'."

The air in front of Mismagius began to shimmer and warp. The path of this warping extended all the way to Rotom and beyond. Mismagius then let out a shriek, at which time pulses began to flow through the rippling space. These pulses collided with Rotom, who was unable to avoid them due to the previous gaze. Each pulse pushed him further back until the last one, large than the others, knocked him clean out of the arena, right past my head.

I grunted and recalled Rotom. Those psychic powers Mismagius could use were dangerous, but I had planned for them. "Let's go, Sableye!" I had withdrawn her from the Storage System the day before specifically for this match.

"Give this one a 'Psywave' too."

Mismagius proceeded to attack like it did before, but Sableye simply stood in place, completely unaffected. I smirked and called out to Fantina. "Sorry, but Sableye is a Dark Pokemon, which allows her to warp psychic energy and make it useless. Now, use 'Shadow Sneak' and 'Shadow Claw'."

After I called to her, Sableye seemed to melt into her shadow on the floor, which then itself disappeared. Beneath Mismagius, Sableye emerged from its shadow and leapt up, her claws bathed in shadows. She raked Mismagius once along the bottom and once on the front, knocking Fantina's Pokemon back. She then landed back on the arena floor, claws bared. Mismagius was still reeling from the attack.

"Now, finish this with 'Night Shade'!"

Sableye held her claws out in front of her, between which formed a small ball of dark energy. She then thrust her claws forward, causing numerous bolts of the energy to shoot out at Mismagius. The bolts struck Mismagius cleanly and threw it to floor, after which it did not get back up. Fantina sighed and recalled her Mismagius, and then put away her Pokeball.

To my surprise, she then gave me a smattering of applause. "Well done Amber, that was tres manifique. While I could make some remarks about your lack of style, there is no mistaking your talent. With the right teacher, you could certainly become a contest star."

"I'll pass," I replied, glaring at Lucas once again to silence his snickering. "Can I change now?"

After changing back into my regular outfit, Fantina, although obviously disappointed, presented me with the Relic Badge. It consisted of a central grey circle intertwined with three smaller, purple circles. Had there been a forth circle it would have resembled Fantina's hair. I proudly pinned it to the inside of my vest and showed it off to Lucas and his mother. Johanna also seemed intent on me entering a Pokemon Contest, but I had every intention to the contrary.

I wanted to get out of this city as quickly as possible, but I relented so that Lucas could spend the rest of the day with his mother. She convinced us to come watch her perform in a Pokemon Contest. Although I still had my doubts about the attire, the contests themselves managed to strike my interest, at least from an observation perspective. Part of the contest was actually a battle, and there was also the creative use of Pokemon's moves to create visual appeal. I wasn't too fond of the idea of dressing my Pokemon up or making them dance though.

The following morning as Lucas and I were preparing to leave, I found that Johanna had somehow snuck the dress I had worn yesterday into my bag. I sighed but didn't make a fuss about it, instead packing it neatly at the bottom of my bag where it hopefully would not come up again. Maybe I would let it serve as a perpetual reminder of why I don't like girl's clothing.

After receiving a fond farewell from his mother, Lucas joined me in departing from the Pokemon Centre. I'll admit, I was missing my own mother a bit, but I was doing well enough just calling her on a regular basis to keep her up to date. I was also curious as to when I would run into Robert or Uncle Chuck again, but decided to leave that up in the air for now. After all, part of the adventure was the element of mystery and surprise.

"So Lucas," I began, "where are we headed next?"

"We should be going south, to Pastoria City," he replied. "There's another League Gym there. Plus, its the warmest part of Sinnoh, so different species of Pokemon might show up."

"Sounds good to me. By the way, what was it your mother whispered to you just before we left?"

"Oh that?" said Lucas, who's face reddened a shade. "It was nothing, really."

"Oh? Come on, tell me."

"Alright, alright. She said that, based on how pretty you looked in that dress, I should be keeping my eyes on you."

This time it was my face that reddened, after which I swatted Lucas' beret down over his face. "I am NOT pretty!"

**Author's Notes: **For the record, I would like to state that Amber's opinion of contests is not the same as my own. Frankly, I enjoy contests and see them as a different way of testing a player's skill. Also, I quite enjoyed writing Fantina into this chapter, and had a lot of fun teasing Amber. Thanks for reading, as always.


	15. Growlithe's Garden

Chapter 14: Growlithe's Garden

**Disclaimer: Although I do not own Pokemon, I certainly own at the games. I recently completed the Generation IV Pokedex 100% (all 493 seen and caught!) Just in time for Gen V -_-  
**

After departing from Hearthome City, Lucas and I began making our way south towards Pastoria. Along the way, Lucas looked through his guidebooks for information about the Pastoria Gym Leader. From what he could find, the Gym Leader there was an ex-professional wrestler who specialized in Water-Type Pokemon. To me that sounded like it would be an easy match, since I had Cherubi and Rotom with me, who both had an advantage over Water-Types.

Another thing came up in Lucas' guidebook that caused him to stop and ask for another detour. "Hey Amber," he said, indicating a picture in his book. "Would you at all be interested in a side trip to check this place out?"

I stopped to look at the picture he was indicating, and found myself somewhat enthralled. The image depicted a massive, beautiful area filled with all kinds of plants and greenery. Although the picture seemed to downplay them, I managed to make out a few Pokemon as well. The image was labelled as 'Backlot Garden'.

"That's kind of an odd name," I mused.

"I suppose, but I'd love to get a closer look at it. You don't find that kind of scenery very often here in Sinnoh; most of the region is too cold or too rocky."

"You have a point. Plus, there might be some new Pokemon there. What do you think Eevee?" Eevee cooed happily in response, which made my mind up. "Alright, let's do it. A nice scenic vacation sounds pretty good right about now."

"That's a good way of putting it. The Sinnoh League for this year would have only ended a month ago and you've already got three badges towards next year's tournament."

"Yeah, even if I only won one badge a month, I'd still have half a year left over. I think a bit of R&R would do me and the Pokemon some good."

With our minds made up, Lucas and I turned off the main road to head towards the 'Backlot Garden'. It was a bit out of the way, but like I noted before, time was plentiful. When we reached the Garden it was quite evident that the side trip was worth it, as the image from the book did not do this place justice. The scenery was nothing short of magnificent. We slowed down to minimal pace while entering the garden, so that we would be able to appreciate its beauty.

Although they had been shown in the guidebook, Lucas and I didn't see any Pokemon hanging around the garden. I was beginning to wonder if they were afraid of us when one finally came into view. I knew it to be a Roselia, the evolutionary predecessor to Roserade. Unlike its evolved form, each arm only held a single rose, and its head didn't have one at all.

"Neato," remarked Lucas, stepping closer. "I almost didn't notice them, since they blend in so well with the nearby flowers."

I wondered what Lucas meant by 'them', when movements indicated to me that the Roselia I had noticed was one of many. In fact, all of the flowers in that particular bush turned out to be Roselia, with a couple of Roserade mixed in. I wondered if I might have an opportunity to catch one, since there were so many around.

"Hey Lucas," I began, "did the guidebook say anything about restrictions on catching Pokemon here?"

"Not that I can recall," he replied. "These Pokemon are all wild, so there shouldn't be a problem catching one."

"Or a couple," I smirked.

I reached into my vest and plucked the empty Pokeball I had placed next to the occupied ones. I tapped my Fedora once and tossed the ball at the nearest Roselia. The ball struck the Pokemon and pulled it inside, but this caused the other flower Pokemon to run off together. The ball shook for a moment, but just before I though my catch was secured, it burst open, freeing the Roselia inside. That Roselia then proceeded to run off in the same direction as the others.

"Rats," I muttered as I retrieved my Pokeball. "Oh well, I suppose I could follow them."

"I'd have advised you to weaken it first, but if you had called another Pokemon to attack they would have all scattered anyways. Shall we continue?"

Lucas and I ventured deeper into the garden, following the direction we had seen the Roselia run off in. However, we stopped when a strange noise caught our attention. It grew louder as it approached the two of us, accompanying a rustling of the bushes. With one last, loud bark, something burst from the bushes and landed in front of us.

It was clearly a Pokemon, and its appearance was that of a dog. Its fur was mostly orange with a few black stripes. It also had fluffy, cream coloured patches on its tail, chest and head. This Pokemon was not happy to see us, and was growling with its fur raised on end. Even so, this didn't stop me from checking my Pokedex. _'Growlithe, the Puppy Pokemon. This Pokemon has a very friendly nature, but will bark and bite to repel intruders from its territory.'_

"It doesn't seem all that friendly to me," I remarked, putting away my Pokedex.

"I guess that means it thinks we're intruders," replied Lucas. "It probably thinks of this garden as its territory if that's the case."

"Maybe we should leave then," I suggested. "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those fangs. Seems like a terrible missed opportunity though."

Although we were both disappointed, Lucas and I turned away from the Growlithe with the intention of leaving the garden. However, the Growlithe ran past us and turned to face us again, once again growling. We tried turning away once more, but it again cut us off in front. I began to wonder if it was deliberately trying to pick a fight, because it certainly wasn't just trying to scare us off at this point. A look at Lucas told me he was pondering the same thing I was.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to reach the end of my train of thought before Growlithe made a move. It leapt at me with an unexpected amount of force, slamming its shoulder into my stomach. The wind was knocked out of me and I fell backwards. Fortunately I landed in a sitting position instead of flat on my back. Right after that, Growlithe leapt at me again, but this time it passed over my shoulder, from which I felt a weight lift off. I turned around to see that Growlithe had snatched Eevee by the scruff of her neck.

Before I had a chance to react, Growlithe ran off, with Eevee in tow. Lucas helped me to my feet, although I was still winded from the earlier blow. "What's that Growlithe thinking?" he asked rhetorically.

"Who cares," came my reply as I tried to catch my breath. "We have to follow him and get Eevee back.

Without waiting for the winding to go away I began to run after Growlithe. Lucas quickly followed behind me, and unlike my previous incident of running off he kept up with me. Although, this was primarily due to the fact that I was still catching my breath. I was able to follow Growlithe thanks to a perpetual rustling of the bushes ahead of me. I imagined Lucas wasn't too happy about all the flowers and plants we were trampling, but he would have to suck it up for now.

Eventually, I saw Growlithe emerge from the bushes and was able to follow it directly. I didn't think I would be able to keep up with it much longer though, as my sides were beginning to hurt again. Just as I thought I was going to lose it, it came to a stop in front of what appeared to be a small burrow. This aroused my curiosity, so I stopped running, much to the relief of Lucas and my lungs. I watched as it set Eevee down and barked loudly at the burrow.

Lucas came up behind me and stopped just short, looking at Growlithe like I was. "What do you make of that?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"I can only think it's trying to get the attention of someone or something. By the way, why did you stop? He's not that far now."

"I didn't think it would be a good idea to tackle it myself, plus I'm kinda curious about what it's doing."

As Lucas and I looked on, Growlithe barked at the burrow a few more times before stopping, and then got into a sitting position. Eevee sat there next to it, bewildered and obviously unaware that I had followed them. As we watched, there came a rustle from the burrow, followed by movement. I was rather surprised to see a pair of Eevee walk out of the burrow and look curiously at Growlithe. They both looked to be bigger than my Eevee, which led me to think they were adults.

Shortly after the pair of Eevee emerged, they were followed by another, smaller Eevee. Lucas and I both immediately realized that it was a family, where the two larger Eevee's were the parents of the smaller one. The smaller one walked out and looked at my Eevee, which was about the same size as itself, and looked at it quizzically. At that time, Growlithe began to look back and forth between the two young Eevee's, apparently confused.

"I think I see what's going on," remarked Lucas.

"It's kinda obvious," I replied. "That Growlithe mistook my Eevee for the child of those two adult Eevee, and was just trying to bring it back home."

Lucas and I chose this time to close the rest of the distance between us and the Pokemon. Upon seeing us, the three Eevee scrambled back into their burrow, while Growlithe turned and bared its fangs at us again, growling. Upon seeing me, Eevee cooed happily and ran over to me, at which time I bent down and stroked her head. Growlithe stopped growling at this time and walked up to us. Eevee peeped at it enthusiastically, although I wasn't sure if it could understand or not.

I held an open hand out to Growlithe, who sniffed at it curiously. It looked me over once more before turning its head and barking enthusiastically at the burrow. I watched as the family of Eevee reluctantly stuck their heads out of the burrow. Eevee cooed at them, at which time the child Eevee ran out and cooed back, smiling at my Eevee. The parents followed shortly afterwards, which created the delightful sight of four cute Eevees.

Lucas knelt down and swung his bag off his back, rummaging through it briefly before producing a sketchbook. He looked to the four Eevee's who were now frolicking playfully in a patch of flowers, and began to sketch. Growlithe had become much less aggressive as well, and was sitting nearby, watching the four Eevee with us. That all changed when a faint 'pop' was heard by Lucas and I. Growlithe, who's hearing was keener than ours, definitely heard more than a pop.

As I looked on, Growlithe jumped aside as something flew past us. Although it was moving fast, I could see that it was a net. It flew straight at the four Eevee and wrapped itself around them, constricting them tightly. They whined frantically while Lucas, Growlithe and I turned to see who was responsible for the net. It was only then that I heard the sound of a motorcycle's engine idling. Just as my mind clued in on who it was, I saw her standing next to the bike. Linda.

"Wow that took a while," Linda exclaimed, smirking. "I guess I should thank you though; if you hadn't come along those Eevee might never have let down their guard. Especially with that mangy Growlithe in the way."

"You must not get tired of being beaten by me," I retorted. "Otherwise you wouldn't follow me around so much."

"I'll have you know that Eevee is worth a pretty penny to my boss. With these, I'll be able to quadruple that penny."

"Not if I can help it. Go, Cherubi!" I called, hurling his Pokeball.

"Porygon, you're up."

Linda's Porygon and my Cherubi came out at the same time, appearing almost right on top of each other. This would be Cherubi's first time fighting against Linda's Porygon, although most of my Pokemon had done so at one point or another. Even so, Cherubi seemed enthusiastic, especially when I told him that we were helping out Eevee. Linda chose simply to snicker at this gesture, which only helped to egg him on.

"Your other Pokemon were pretty strong, but Porygon and I could eat that little fruit for dinner."

"Don't underestimate him because he's small," I replied with a smirk. "He's been with me almost as long as Eevee, and is plenty strong. Show with your 'Razor Leaf' Cherubi."

"Porygon, use 'Conversion'; make sure that little runt can't leave even a scratch."

Cherubi let out a peep and spun the leaf on its head around, unleashing the usual flurry of small, sharp leaves. Porygon, in response, pixelated its body like before, this time phasing back in as a metallic grey colour. Cherubi's attack reached it right when it finished converting, and struck its surface harmlessly. Based on its colour and defensive strength, it was easy to surmise that Porygon had converted to a Steel-Type.

"Good Porygon, now 'Sharpen' and 'Tackle'!" roared Linda.

Porygon shimmered for a moment with a metallic gleam, at which time its body seemed to narrow and become sharper. It then flew straight at Cherubi and collided with him, knocking back hard. Fortunately I was right behind him and able to catch him when he was thrown, but the impact knocked me flat on my butt. Fortunately, my catch had spared Cherubi a rough impact, and he quickly hopped back out in front of Porygon.

Cherubi was about to attack once again when Growlithe placed a paw in front of him. It stepped in front of him and bared its fangs at Porygon, growling aggressively. As I watched it growl, sparks began to lick around its mouth, eventually building into small spurts of flame. It let out a howl as it unleashed a torrent of fire from its mouth, the stream of flames engulfing Porygon. I smirked and told myself I should have known better, since Fire was particularly effective against Steel.

The now superheated Porygon flew backwards in a panic and bowled Linda over, landing the two of them square on her bike. That heat then served as their exit, as it ignited her motorcycle's gas tank, which then exploded and threw them both flying out of sight. Growlithe barked triumphantly as I laughed at the ridiculous manner of Linda's departure. I looked back to Lucas, who had now removed the net from the four Eevee, who then saw fit to pile on top of him gleefully. I snickered and joined him, after recalling Cherubi to his Pokeball.

Lucas and I spent some more time playing with the family of wild Eevee before deciding it was time to leave the garden. After we left the Eevee's burrow, we managed to get the edge of the garden before something dashed out in front of us. For reasons I wasn't sure of, Growlithe was now barring our path, its gaze fixated on Eevee and I. It began to growl; at which time Eevee jumped down from my shoulder and growled back at it as loudly as she could muster.

"Um..." I muttered, "what are you doing Eevee?"

Growlithe barked at Eevee, who then turned to me and cooed enthusiastically. It was then that I understood, and smiled back at her. "If it's a fight he wants then that's what he'll get."

Growlithe barked once more and then raised its fur at Eevee. She responded by puffing out her tail and cooing loudly. Growlithe then, without further provocation, lunged at her, mouth open and fangs bared. Eevee skidded to the side, slipping past Growlithe and at the same time kicking dirt in its face. Growlithe flinched away from Eevee, snorting as it tried to clear the earth from its face and nose. Eevee took this opportunity and jumped onto Growlithe's back, biting into its hide. Growlithe yelped and shook its body, tossing Eevee clear, although she managed to land on her feet.

"Good work Eevee," I called enthusiastically. "Now, show it your 'Take Down'!"

Eevee simply nodded and then charged headlong at Growlithe, lowering her head as she charged. Growlithe, who had just shaken off her previous attack, turned to face her just as she leapt at it. She collided with it straight on, her head smashing into its, the force throwing her away after the impact. When she landed she seemed a bit dazed from the impact, but Growlithe was howling painfully. Eevee cooed determinedly as she watched Growlithe collapse onto its side.

I put on a wide grin and tapped the brim of my fedora, before pulling out the Pokeball I had used earlier and tossing it at Growlithe. The ball caught it clean on the head, converting it to the usual red light and pulling it inside. The ball shook violently, much more so than my previous catches, but all the same it fell still, at which time I punched the air enthusiastically. Eevee peeped excitedly as well as I went to retrieve the Pokeball. Shortly after I picked it up though, it shimmered white and crackled with electricity before disappearing from my hand. I was a little shocked, but knew that it had simply been automatically transported to the storage system, since I already had a full team of six Pokemon on hand.

Lucas walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "That was an impressive capture, but if Growlithe is with you, who's going to look after those Eevee?"

"If Linda's got any brains at all I imagine she won't be coming around here again. Besides, I doubt Growlithe would have left the Eevee alone if it didn't think they'd be okay by themselves."

Lucas let out a sigh and shrugged it off, probably not wanting to admit that I was right. I didn't care much, since I was still excited about my new catch. Although it wouldn't be a good match for the upcoming Water-Type Gym, I knew it was going to be a great addition to my team. With that thought in mind, Lucas and I continued on our way, Pastoria City drawing ever closer, and my forth Pokemon League Gym badge with it.

**Author's Notes: **Yay, another catch for Amber. This brings her to a total of eight Pokemon, and I imagine she'll have a total of eight badges in no time. Hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am. This chapter contains a fair amount of foreshadowing, see if you can figure out where =P

**Additional Note: **I'm on my Reading Week this week (no school, yay), so I'm gonna try and bring you a second chapter for Amber later this week. Don't get too mad if I don't pull it off though.


	16. The Masked Maelstrom

Chapter 15: The Masked Maelstrom

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, although that would be nice wouldn't it?**

As Lucas and I continued south, we noticed that it was getting muggier the further we went. According to Lucas, Pastoria was the southernmost city this side of Mt. Coronet, and its proximity to the ocean meant there was always a lot of moisture in the air. This unfortunately led to a rather uncomfortable amount of humidity, not to mention the swampy ground. By the time we actually made it to Pastoria, my shoes were caked with mud and my clothes were soaked with sweat. Fortunately for me, Pokemon Centres provided bath and laundry services.

The day was getting on as we entered the city, and the sky was beginning to cloud over. Lucas mentioned that the weather around here had a tendency to change suddenly, again thanks to the incredibly moist air. The one benefit that came with it was that once the rain stopped, the humidity would go down, and the following day wouldn't be anywhere near as muggy as today, although the swampy ground might get worse. I was honestly a little jealous of Eevee, who got to ride around on my shoulder and didn't need to worry about getting her paws all muddy. Not to mention all my other Pokemon who were safe in their Pokeballs.

When we reached the Pokemon Centre I was able to have a nice hot bath and felt much better afterwards. I didn't feel like running around in the rain, so I decided to postpone the Gym Battle until the next day. It was fairly late anyways, and I needed a meal and some rest, especially considering the trudging I had gone through to get here. I wasn't too keen on immediately jumping back into swampy terrain after today's trek.

The following day saw the sudden rainstorm over and the sun out again. Early in the morning I ventured just outside the Pokemon Centre to check the weather, and was relieved to find that it was indeed cooler than yesterday. The ground outside was a muddy mess, but since we were within the town there were at least paths to walk on. I went back to the room Lucas and were staying in and changed from my pyjamas back into my normal outfit, which was freshly laundered. I then went back down to the lobby to join Lucas for some breakfast.

"So," began Lucas, "I was just wondering which Pokemon you were planning on using for your Gym Battle today."

"Oh. Well, if it's a three on three match, which seems to be pretty typical, then I'll use Rotom, Cherubi and Eevee." Eevee cooed happily at my mention of her.

"I see. Cherubi and Rotom have a type advantage over Water-Type Pokemon, but why Eevee?"

"Well; I've had three Gym matches so far and Eevee has only gotten to participate in one of them. I figure she wants in on some of the action, although I do use her a lot outside of Gym Battles."

"I see. Knowing you, I don't think there's anything to worry about."

After eating breakfast, Lucas and I departed from the Pokemon Centre and made our way towards the Gym. I was indeed thankful for the paths through the city, as all of the surrounding ground was extremely muddy and covered in puddles. The trek took longer than usual because of that, but eventually Lucas and I arrived at the Gym and made our way inside.

The interior of this Gym was once again different from the ones that preceded it. Where the other Gyms had had an arena laid out in the middle of the building, this Gym had instead a large pool. Three moderately sized platforms stood in a row down the middle of the pool, each separated by about one quarter of the pool's length. The central platform bore the typical Pokeball symbol that marked the middle of an arena. Looking around, I didn't see anyone else in the Gym, save for a figure swimming back and forth along the length of the pool.

Lucas and I walked towards the pool and the figure swimming in it, figuring that it was the Gym Leader. Just as we reached the edge of the pool, the figure stopped swimming and leapt out of the water next to Lucas. I got sprayed with some water, but Lucas was soaked rather thoroughly. He chuckled weakly and stepped away from the man who had splashed him. I looked the man up and down, noting that despite being portly, he was quite muscular. His clothes made him look like a Mexican wrestler, including a spandex mask that covered part of his face.

"Bwahahaha!" roared the man. "Sorry there, guess I got you a little wet. But anyways, what can I do for you folks today?"

"Well, aside from maybe getting a towel for Lucas here," I replied, "I would like to challenge the Leader of this Gym to a match."

"Is that so? Then look no further! Standing before you is the one and only, Crasher Wake! The Water Wrestler, the Masked Maelstrom, and of course, the Leader of Pastoria Gym!"

I stood and stared blankly for a moment, smiling weakly. For some reason, I was getting the feeling that being crazy was somehow a prerequisite for being a Gym Leader. I didn't vocalize my thoughts, and instead nodded at Wake. "Alright then, I'm Amber, and I challenge you to an official Gym Battle."

"Whoa now; what makes you think you've got what it takes to defeat the Wakester?"

"These convince you?" I retorted, flashing him my other three badges.

"Well now, that's quite a haul! Alright then, I accept your challenge! We'll each use three Pokemon!"

"Right, let's do this."

I watched as Crasher jumped back into the pool and swam over to one end, before emerging and taking up a position to battle. As I walked over to the opposite end, I saw another Gym employee handing Lucas a towel, before taking his place alongside the pool arena. I took my place opposite Wake, and watched as he produced a Pokeball. I wasn't sure I wanted to know where he kept it. The referee cleared his throat and then called out to us in turn.

"This will be an official Sinnoh Pokemon League Gym Battle for the stakes of a Fen Badge. Each contender shall use three Pokemon and there will be no time limit. The Gym Leader will not be allowed to make a substitution."

"I won't need one!" roared Wake, tossing his Pokemon into the pool. "Go, Gyarados!"

With the usual flash of light, Wake's Pokemon was released into the pool. When it emerged from the waters, it appeared to take up a good portion of the arena. The Pokemon was a massive blue sea serpent with a pale yellow underbelly and pointy white fins along its back. It's massive jaws gaped open as it roared across the arena at me. I consulted my Pokedex, as had become my habit. _'Gyarados: The Atrocious Pokemon. This Pokemon is rarely seen in the wild. Huge and vicious, its rage is reputed to be able to destroy entire cities.'_

I smiled to myself. I knew exactly what to send out. "Go Rotom!"

Wake began to laugh as the tiny Plasma Pokemon appeared over the pool. "What's that puny thing gonna do against my Gyarados? I hope you're not just trying to slow it down with a snack while swimming. Gyarados, give that runt a big time 'Bite'!"

"Rotom, don't let it chow down on you, use 'Double Team'."

At Wake's command, the massive serpent dove at Rotom, maw gaping wide. Before it could chomp on my Pokemon though, it phased backwards, leaving nothing but an afterimage for Gyarados to bite into. Rotom let off static that was accompanied by a sound resembling snickering as the larger Pokemon crashed into the water fruitlessly, taking a chunk out of one of the platforms as he did so. Gyarados reared up and roared furiously, and began to trash violently.

"Don't let it get to you boy!" called Wake. "Get it with a 'Hydro Pump'!"

"Rotom, use 'Charge' and get ready to finish this."

Gyarados focused its gaze on Rotom and roared once again. Accompanying this roar was a massive deluge of water that spewed out from its gaping jaws. However, as the water was coming towards it, Rotom began to hum softly in place. The lights in the Gym flicked as Rotom drew in electricity from its surroundings. Once it was done charging, it began to flit about incessantly, never staying still long enough to be seen for more than an instant. In this manner, the torrent of water from Gyarados streamed right past him, although it did managed to knock the referee off his feet.

"What the?" called Wake, dumbfounded.

"Sorry Wake," I called back, "but when Rotom gets charged with an abundance of electricity, his movements become sporadic and impossible to predict. Now then, get in close and end this with 'Discharge'!"

Heeding my call, Rotom dove in towards Wakes Gyarados. Its path was full of zigzags, but when it got close enough to the great serpent it let out all the electricity it had stored in one huge burst. The burst of electricity enveloped Gyarados and half the pool along with it. When the discharge dispersed, Gyarados was drooped over, half of its body lying on the side of the pool, and it wasn't moving. Wake let out a loud, yet impressed sounding roar before recalling his Pokemon.

"That was a mighty fine bit of battling young lady," called the Gym Leader. "I wasn't expecting such a big punch from such a small Pokemon. This time though, I won't make the same mistake! Go Quagsire!"

Wake's new Pokemon flashed into existence atop one of the platforms. It looked like an overgrown blue tadpole. Its face was little more than a pair of dots for eyes and a squiggly line as its closed mouth. Its appearance left me wondering what it was thinking about, if anything. I consulted my Pokedex yet again. _'Quagsire: the Water Fish Pokemon. Due to its highly relaxed nature, it often collides with boats and other obstacles while swimming.'_

"Alright then, let's keep going," I said to myself. "Rotom, use 'Thundershock'!"

Rotom flickered momentarily, before swinging its appendages around in small, rapid circles. Wake's Quagsire simply stood where it was and stared at Rotom as its attack was released, sending a stream of electrical energy at it. The attack connected with Quagsire, but after lingering for a moment, dissipated entirely. Wake's Pokemon had remained in the same position, with the same expression, as though it hadn't even noticed the attack.

"Wahaha," chortled Wake, "sorry kiddo, but Quagsire's part Ground type, making electricity useless. Now, give that little pest a 'Mud Shot'!"

Quagsire's expression finally changed as it opened its mouth, moving its head ever so slightly as it followed Rotom's flitting about. With a gurgling sound, Quagsire narrowed its mouth and spat a stream of watery mud at Rotom. Rotom attempted to avoid the attack, but the width of the spray was larger than it was. The mud splashed over Rotom with a surprising amount of force, pushing it past me and straight into the wall directly behind me.

I turned on the spot and looked on as Rotom slid down the wall, drenched and dizzied by the attack. I sighed and recalled him, disappointed that Wake had gotten the better of me so simply. "I'm not finished yet. Go, Cherubi!"

Cherubi popped out of his Pokeball on the platform opposite Quagsire, who continued staring blankly around the room. Although no bigger than Rotom, Cherubi did not seem phased by the size difference between him and Wake's Quagsire. This was my first time using him in a Gym battle since he had been beaten by Roark's Cranidos. The loss back then had been rough on him, but since then I had put a lot of effort into getting his confidence back. I had no doubt that this time would be different.

"Another pint-size Pokemon eh?" roared Wake. "You seem to have a lot of those. I'll take this one out too. Quagsire, use 'Hydro Pump'!"

"Not gonna happen; Cherubi, 'Seed Bomb'!"

Quagsire opened its mouth wide, then brought its lips together, spitting forth a torrent of frothy water like Gyarados had done before. Cherubi stood his ground and opened his mouth as well, from which he spat a large, glowing seed. The seed shot straight at Quagsire's Hydro Pump, and when the two connected, Cherubi's 'Seed Bomb' split cleanly through the stream of water. The water left over from Quagsire's attack spilled harmlessly off to either side, while Cherubi's seed flew straight at its head. When the seed connected with Quagsire, there was an explosion that knocked the slippery blue blob on its back.

I smiled, thinking Quagsire was down and out, but after only a few moments it wobbled back onto its feet. It bore the same simple expression as always. "That thing's either really tough or really oblivious," I muttered.

"Ha!" roared Wake. "It'll take more than a little seed to keep Quagsire down."

"Then we'll just have to give it more; use 'Bullet Seed'."

Cherubi once again opened his mouth and began to spew a salvo of seeds at Quagsire. Each time the seeds made contact, they burst, causing the water Pokemon to shudder. Cherubi stopped firing to observe his opponent, and seemed shocked to find that his attacks had almost no noticeable effect on Quagsire. It simply stood there with the same, bored looking expression on its face. It was frustrating for me to watch Cherubi, but I could only imagine it how frustrating it was for him.

"I told you some seeds weren't good enough," called Wake. "It'll take a lot more power than that to drop Quagsire."

Cherubi seemed to take what Wake had said to heart rather quickly about needing more power. No sooner were the words out of his mouth, than Cherubi began to glow with a bright white light. His form began to change and expand as he, like Ralts before, underwent the process of evolution. When the light faded, Cherubi had been replaced by Cherrim, his evolved form. I could only see part of his red, fruit like body, as most of him was covered by a set of folded purple petals, with a green leaf and red stem on top. I smiled broadly; this was exactly what we had needed.

"I think Cherubi got your message, and more power is exactly what you're about to get! Cherrim, use 'Petal Dance'!"

Cherrim began to spin rapidly on the spot, his large petals whirling about him, while smaller leaves and petals floated around his body. He leapt from his spot on the platform nearest me right at Quagsire, who remained stationary. Cherrim slammed into him hard, knocking him flat on his back once more. Cherrim hopped back and landed on the middle platform, while Quagsire did not get back up. Wake let out an impressed whistle, then recalled his Quagsire.

"I can see you're no pushover," he called enthusiastically. "However, it's time for me to run wild all over this battle. Go, Floatzel!"

Wake tossed his third and final Pokeball into the arena, which struck the platform closest to him, popping open to release his Pokemon. This time, I was met with an orange weasel with two tails, a rubbery, yellow mane along the sides of its head and body, and a blue fin on each of its forearms. I hadn't put my Pokedex away from before, and it immediately switched to Floatzel's entry. _Floatzel: The Sea Weasel Pokemon. The flotation sac on its body can serve as a life raft for assisting people who are drowning.'_

"You can do this Cherrim! Give that one a 'Petal Dance' too!"

"No dice kiddo. Floatzel, show her your 'Aqua Jet' and follow up with a 'Waterfall'."

Cherrim, as before, began to twirl on the spot, throwing up petals and leaves around him. However, before he could make his move, Floatzel was on top of him. The sea weasel had sped across the water like a rocket, slamming into Cherrim and knocking him out of his 'Petal Dance'. Cherrim landed roughly on the platform in front of me. Just as he managed to get back up, Floatzel was on top of him again. This time its speed had pulled a mass of water along with it, which slammed into Cherrim as Floatzel came to a stop. Cherrim was knocked off the platform and into the side of the pool right below me.

I immediately withdrew Cherrim, knowing that it was over the second he landed in the water. He wasn't able to swim, let alone keep up with Floatzel in the water. I turned to Eevee, who was perched on my shoulder. "What do you think; can you take him?"

Eevee responded by licking my cheek, and then jumping down onto the closest platform. Floatzel has since swam back over to Wake's end of the pool, and was wading there patiently. However, this was a tricky situation. Eevee could swim, but there was no way she could keep up with Floatzel. If she went into the water, it would be over really fast. This had me worried, since the only way Eevee would be able to land a hit on Floatzel would be to force it out of the water. If I could figure out how, then I would have it made.

"It's not easy to beat a Pokemon that's in its element," called Wake. "Unfortunately for you, that Eevee isn't even in its element to begin with."

"We'll show you!" I shouted back instinctively. "Eevee, stick close to it and hit it when it comes out of the water at you."

Eevee growled and Floatzel, and then began leaping across the platforms towards it. Although her speed was impressive, it was nothing next to Floatzel. The water Pokemon sped around the outside of the pool, and reached my end well before Eevee could turn herself around on the far platform. Eevee tried to come back around, only for Floatzel to swim away again. Things were looking bad, but I knew that if anyone on my team could pull off a win against the odds, it was Eevee.

"Sorry kiddo, but Floatzel and I are getting tired of playing games. 'Aqua Tail'."

Floatzel's tails began to spin around behind it, until they were fast enough to no longer be visible. It streaked out of the water towards Eevee, who had just landed on the opposite end of the pool. Floatzel was out of the water, and it would be her chance to attack. But it was already too late. Floatzel turned around as it slid across the water, its spinning tails hitting Eevee with all the force of a runaway freight train. The soaking tails were like whips, and sent Eevee reeling right towards me. As I caught her in my arms, I was knocked to the floor, with Eevee and I both now being thoroughly soaked.

I looked down at Eevee, who was now shivering in my arms. I then looked back at Wake,who bore a broad, triumphant grin as he recalled Floatzel. It finally dawned on me, although I was having a hard time convincing myself it was true. I had lost.

**Author's Notes: **Amber's first lost readers, and I'm just as surprised as you are. It gonna hit her pretty hard too, considering she's always managed to find a way to win before. However, everyone has to learn to deal with defeat some time, so we can only hope Amber takes it well.


	17. Swamp Safari

Chapter 16: Swamp Safari

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Black and White are Bitchin'!**

I continue to stare down into my arms at Eevee's wet, half-conscious form. I almost couldn't believe what had happened. Almost. It was right there in front of me; I had lost. I looked up over the arena to see Wake standing across from me grinning broadly. Off to the side, Lucas was staring in what appeared to be as much disbelief as I had myself. I let out a rather loud sigh, and turned away from both of them. I began to walk towards the Gym's exit, intending to take my fallen team back to the Pokemon Centre.

As I was on the way out, I heard Wake call after me; "There's no questioning your talent young lass, but experience is something you're gonna need a lot more of if you want to make it in this game."

To me it wasn't a game. It never had been. I had always intended to become a Pokemon Champion as far back as I can remember. I worked hard with my Pokemon from day one, and always tried to play it smart. I had always known I couldn't win every time, but I had managed to keep up my winning streak for so long. After all that, the loss hit a lot harder than I thought it would. Lucas caught up to me as I made my way out of the Gym building.

"Don't feel too bad Amber," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Everyone loses sometimes."

"I know," I sighed, "but it just feels so surreal. Plus I feel bad for my team, since all their hard work ended up being for nothing."

"I'm sure they won't hold it against you."

"I know you're right, but it still feels pretty awful. Like I let them down or something."

Lucas and I reached the Pokemon Centre as we were talking, and I went up to the counter to hand my Pokemon over to Nurse Joy. She too tried to console me, and I was glad, but it didn't seem to help that much. She told me my Pokemon would likely take the rest of the day to be back to their best shape, so I seated myself at a nearby table. Lucas came back from the room we had stayed in and sat next to me, having changed to a dry set of clothes. We decided to have some lunch, while I say mulling over my loss to Wake.

"I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself," said Lucas, again trying to make me feel better. "Plus, you can always challenge him again after your Pokemon are feeling better."

"That's true, but I've been thinking about what Wake said. He said I was lacking experience, which I suppose is true. I've only been at this for a few months, whereas Gym Leaders like him have been training for years."

"You managed to beat the other Gym Leaders though, this was just a minor setback."

"Yeah, but he's still right. If I want to follow through on my goal of becoming Champion, I'm gonna have to get a lot better. I'm also gonna have to get used to losing."

"Somehow I don't think that's what he meant by experience."

"That's not what I meant either. I just mean that..."

Before I could finish what I was saying, our conversation was interrupted by the door the Pokemon Centre being thrown open. Two people hurried inside and approached the counter. One of them looked like a police officer, save that his uniform was the colour of camouflage. The other was a taller man wearing a lab coat and a pair of narrow, round glasses. Nurse Joy seemed to recognized the officer, but she looked quizzically at the other man. Lucas and I looked on, curious as to what was going on.

"Hello Warden," said Joy, addressing the man in uniform. "What brings you here today? You seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to get here."

"Ah, well, you see, there's a bit of a problem. I'll spare you the details for now, but I was wondering if you had any trainers around who could offer some assistance."

"I don't see why this is necessary," said the man in the glasses. "I told you I could handle this mistake personally."

"I mean no offence, but I'd just feel safer if I had some extra help."

"Suit yourself."

Lucas and I looked at each other, puzzled as to the nature of the exchange made between the two men. However, our attention was caught by Nurse Joy, who seemed to be beckoning us over to the counter. I shrugged and stood up, heading over to her, Lucas following suit. I stood at the counter and looked between Nurse joy and the two men, still confused as to what was going on.

"Amber," said Nurse Joy, noticing my confusion, "this man is the Warden for the Pastoria Marsh Safari Zone." She indicated the man in camouflage as she spoke. "It seems he's in need of some assistance."

"What kind of assistance?" asked Lucas.

"I'll field that," claimed the man in glasses. "Hello children, my name is Lee; I run a nearby Pokemon research facility. Unfortunately something has gone wrong. Some lunatic on a motorcycle crashed into our research building and one of our subjects became enraged and ran off. We were unable to detain the culprit, as she ran off right after the crash."

Lucas and I looked at each other knowingly; there was only one person we knew to habitually crash a motorcycle and run off.

The Warden picked up after Lee stopped speaking. "It seems the Pokemon in question that escaped from the lab found its way into the Marsh. In its frustration it has been attacking and aggravating the other Pokemon there. I came here looking for some help in containing it."

"Well," I mused, "normally I wouldn't mind helping, but half my team is down from my Gym battle this morning."

"We'll do it," cut in Lucas. He then looked to me. "I was wanting to pay a visit to the Safari Zone after you finished your Gym match anyways. Plus, we might as well be doing something while the rest of your Pokemon are recuperating."

"You're rather eager. You're right though, we can't just sit around here all day."

"Don't worry about your Pokemon Amber," said Nurse Joy, "I'll take care of them until you get back."

"Ah, so you'll help us then? Wonderful, I'll show you to the Marsh."

"I still think I could have handled this alone," muttered Lee.

Despite Lee's objections, the four of us made our way to the Pastoria Marsh, guided by the Warden. The Marsh itself was located along the northern edge of the city, and was surrounded by a sturdy chain fence. We crossed through the main gate into the marsh, which lived up to its named. The place was wet, muddy, and the air was heavy with swamp vapour. There were paths, but they were only paved with dirt and were as muddy as the unpaved ground, so it was hard to tell the difference.

We walked a short distance into the marsh before the Warden stopped and turned to address us. "First, I would like to thank you two for offering to help," he said, nodding to me and Lucas in turn. "The Pokemon that got loose from the lab is causing distress to the environment here and we haven't been able to pin it down alone."

"Speaking of which," interrupted Lucas, "what kind of Pokemon are we dealing with?"

"The Pokemon in question," replied Lee, "was originally a Shroomish procured from this same Marsh. It has since evolved into a Breloom during our experimentation."

I pulled out my Pokedex to check the entry on Breloom. The image displayed was of what at first appeared to be a bipedal mushroom. Its tail, lower body and cap were green, with red claws on its heavy looking legs and short arms. It had a slim, tan upper body and a beak like mouth. '_Breloom: The Mushroom Pokemon. It scatters poisonous spores, then delivers rapid, nearly invisible punches to the incapacitated foe.'_

"Thank you for the exposition, Lee, but I think we need to get back to the issue of finding it. I propose that we split up to search. Lucas, since you're interested in the other features of the Marsh, you can come with me to the northern end. Lee, you take Amber and search the southern end. Oh, and take these just in case."

The Safari Warden reached into his jacket and pulled something out, handing it to me. He did the same for Lucas. What he had handed me were five Pokeballs, only instead of the usual red on top, they bore a camouflage pattern. "These are Safari Balls," he explained, "they're a special kind of Pokeball for use here in the Marsh. Normally battling isn't permitted here, but I'll allow it in this case, but only against that Breloom if you find it."

"Alright," I said, pocketing the Safari Balls. Lucas did the same, then he and the Warden headed off towards the northern end of the Marsh.

I was left with Lee, who I could tell was still disappointed about having to stick with me, since he figured he would have been able to handle the issue on his own. Begrudgingly, he stuck with me as we entered the Marsh. He seemed to share my desire to avoid getting unnecessarily muddy, and we stuck to the paths as we walked through the Marsh. However, I was glad to have been paired with him, since it gave me an opportunity to confirm my suspicions.

"So Lee," I began.

"Yes?" he responded, although he didn't seem to want to spare me a glance.

"The person who ran into your lab on the motorcycle, was it a woman?"

Lee looked at me this time when he responded. "Yes actually. Why?"

"Did she happen to have a Porygon with her?"

"As a matter of fact, she did. How do you know that though?"

"I've had a few run ins with her; she tried to steal my Eevee before, among other things."

"Did she now? Most peculiar."

"Did she steal anything from your lab?"

"Thankfully, no. When the Breloom got loose, she was the first thing it attacked, which is how I witnessed her Porygon. She ran off when it beat her Pokemon senseless."

"That figures."

Lee seemed amused by my retelling of previous encounters with Linda, and each subsequent defeat she had suffered. However, we stopped talking when we came across what looked to be the work of the enraged Breloom. A swarm of insect Pokemon flew past us, as though they were fleeing something. A little farther ahead, we found several downed Pokemon that had clearly been attacked, including some Roselia and even a Quagsire. Although I was tempted to procure some new Pokemon, it wouldn't be fair considering someone else had beaten them. Plus, we had to focus on subduing Breloom.

"It looks like we're close," commented Lee. "However, Breloom is quite fast, so I don't know if we'll be able to catch up to it."

"I have an idea." I plucked Skarmory's Pokeball from the inside of my vest and called her out. "There's a Breloom here attacking the other wild Pokemon. Can you fly up and find it?"

Skarmory squawked at me loudly, as though to say she would do more than just find the offending Breloom. She then flapped her wings hard and took off, flying in the direction indicated by the fleeing Pokemon. I watched her fly off, and followed cautiously on foot behind her. After a few minutes, Skarmory turned around and shrieked at me before diving back down towards the ground. Lee and I ran towards the spot she had dived towards, emerging into a grassy bank beneath a few trees.

There, I saw Skarmory diving and pecking at the Breloom, which I could only assume was the one Lee had been talking about. However, something was strange about it. The parts of its body that were shown as green by my Pokedex were instead bright orange. As well, its claws were yellow instead of red. Skarmory was attempting to attack the Breloom, but it was quick, and kept side stepping her attacks. She seemed to be furious that it kept avoiding her. I however, was curious about its bizarre colouration.

"What's up with its colour?" I asked, turning to Lee for an explanation.

"Ah, I didn't think to mention that before," he replied. "It seems the nature of our experiment caused a slight mutation in this Breloom. The chlorophyll in its plant parts is metabolizing slower than usual, resulting in the autumn colours instead of the usual green pigment. It's nothing serious though."

As interesting as the off colour Breloom was, I was more concerned with taking care of the problem it presented. Lee seemed to feel the same way, despite his explanation. Skarmory had Breloom occupied, but it didn't fail to notice our arrival. While still keeping away from Skarmory, it turned to observe the two of us, and Lee in particular he spent a fair amount of time staring at. Lee didn't seem to notice, and instead reached into his lab coat.

"Thank you for helping me pin it down," he said simply, "but I can handle things from here."

As he spoke, Lee produced a Pokeball from within his coat. Before he got the opportunity to use it though, Breloom made its move. Its arm, which I had thought was rather short, extended towards Lee like a rubber band. The Breloom struck Lee square in the middle of his face, knocking him flat on his back. I knelt down to see if he was alright, and helped him back into a sitting position. There was a smart looking bruise on his face, and his glasses were broken.

"Blast," he muttered, "I can't see anything without my glasses, which means I can't direct a Pokemon battle, which is endlessly irritating. Guess you'll have to handle it yourself."

I nodded to Lee and then turned back to the fight. Skarmory continued to be incapable of landing a blow on the quick footed Breloom. It, on the other hand, was using its elastic arms to great effect, landing numerous blows on Skarmory. Although I knew she was tough, if this kept up even Skarmory would be unable to keep going.

"You need some way to slow it down," called Lee. "If you can't keep it still, you won't be able to land a hit."

I pondered what Lee said for a moment. Cherrim might have been able to tangle it up with a 'Leech Seed', and Rotom may have been able to paralyse it with 'Thunder Wave', but they were both back at the Pokemon Centre. Aside from Skarmory, I had Sableye with me, who didn't have any means for immobilizing an opponent. That left Kirlia. He could do it, but it would require perfect timing. It was worth a shot.

"Alright Kirlia, you can do this," I called, sending him out on the side of the fray. I then called to Skarmory. "Let up; let it go to Kirlia."

Skarmory seemed confused, but heeded my request anyways, stopping her furious pecking and gliding back from Breloom. It seemed confused, and looked around quizzically. It spotted Kirlia standing on its far side, and set its sights on him. This was what I had been hoping for.

"Kirlia, use 'Disable'," I called. "Quickly!"

I had called to Kirlia the moment his eyes had met Breloom's. They glowed with a soft blue light, at which point Breloom stopped dead in its tracks, surrounded by that same fair blue light. If I had been even a moment too late, Breloom would have likely struck Kirlia before he could use his psychic abilities. However, he had done it, and Breloom wasn't going anywhere. This was the chance to finish it off.

"Alright Skarmory, use 'Air Slash'!"

Skarmory seemed more than happy to oblige me, considering the pounding Breloom had given her. She threw herself higher into the air and shrieked loudly. She flapped her wings fiercely, throwing a pair of her blade like feathers at the disabled Breloom. The feathers struck it like saw blades, eliciting a painful yelp from it. Skarmory repeated this twice more before landing, at which point Kirlia released his psychic hold on the Pokemon. Far less durable than Skarmory, Breloom fell flat on its face when Kirlia let go. I instinctively pulled out one of the Safari Balls and threw it at the downed Breloom. It didn't put up much resistance to being caught after Skarmory's beating.

I retrieved the Safari Ball and helped Lee back to his feet. He had somehow produced a spare pair of glasses from within his lab coat. Why he hadn't done that before, I wasn't sure, but shrugged it off. I offered him the Safari Ball I had captured Breloom with, since it had originally been his test subject.

"You can keep it," he said simply. "We already gathered all the data we needed from the experiments. Besides, you're probably expecting some kind of reward for your help anyways."

Although I wasn't sure I liked Lee's presumptuous attitude, I thanked him anyways. Breloom seemed like it would be a potent addition to my team. We met back up with Lucas and the Warden later near the Marsh entrance. The Warden was grateful for our help, and Lucas told me he had caught a new Pokemon for himself as well, in addition to making some sketches of the Marsh. Both of us satisfied with our experiences, we left the Warden and Lee, and returned to the Pokemon Centre.

Lucas and I talked about our respective experiences in the Marsh over dinner. Lucas told me that he had caught a Roselia, which irked me some since I had previous tried and failed to capture one back in the Backlot Garden. He however, seemed rather impressed when I told him how I had managed to beat the rampaging Breloom, particularly the combined efforts of Kirlia and Skarmory. Nurse Joy had also returned my Pokemon, who had recovered from their earlier defeat. Eevee sat perched on my shoulder as before, and thankfully she didn't seem angry about the loss.

"So," began Lucas, "now that your team is back in shape, what are you gonna do next?"

"That should be obvious; I'm gonna have a rematch with Wake."

"Already? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I won't be satisfied until I pay him back for breaking my winning streak. Besides, I've got Breloom now, and watching him fight gave me some ideas."

**Author's Notes: **Amber's team grows yet again, and it seems as though she's not going to let Wake keep her down for long. Also, there are some plot threads hanging out in this chapter, in case you didn't notice. They'll be followed up shortly, so stay tuned.


	18. Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 17: Behind Closed Doors

I awoke the following morning feeling rather tired. While I had gotten a good amount of sleep, the events of the preceding day had weighed heavily on my dreams. Not just my sleeping dreams, but also my dreams for the future. Losing happened to everyone, I knew that, but it still bothered me. What if I kept losing, or lost at a crucial moment? It was not a pleasant prospect. That said, I still had my rematch with Wake to think about. If I could beat him today, then I could put my fears to rest. If not, my dreams of one day being a Champion might slip through my grasp.

Eevee must have been able to feel my anxiety, because she was up the instant I was. She nuzzled my arm affectionately and cooed softly at me. I smiled back and patted her head. At least she wasn't worried, even though she had been the one who had really lost yesterday. I had checked on her, Cherrim and Rotom after returning from the Marsh, and they all had seemed to be coping well. Rotom seemed to think the whole thing was funny, while Cherrim seemed pleased that he had evolved more than anything.

I changed into my regular outfit and headed to the Pokemon Centre's lobby, Eevee retaking her place on my shoulder. I let out the rest of my team, along with Breloom, who I wanted the rest of them to meet. It did not go at all the way I hoped. Breloom acted aloof towards my other Pokemon when they tried to engage her, ignoring them rather blatantly. The exceptions were Kirlia and Skarmory, the two that had defeated her. She spent most of her time glaring at the two of them, and when Skarmory started glaring back, I recalled both of them before they could start a commotion.

I sighed and seated myself at a table for some breakfast. Lucas joined me shortly afterwards and I told him about Breloom's attitude. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting that," I stated simply. "Thus far all of my Pokemon have been pretty even mannered about being beaten by my team."

"Well," pondered Lucas, "each Pokemon is different, just like each person. It doesn't really surprise me that there are some that are more sensitive about losing."

"I guess she's kinda like me then," I remarked. "I'm still pretty bummed out about losing to Wake yesterday. I intend to return the favour."

"You're planning to use Breloom right?"

"Yup. With any luck, beating Wake's Floatzel will put her in a better mood. I know it'll make me feel better."

Lucas chuckled and we went back to eating. After their first impression of Breloom, my other Pokemon seemed a bit unsure. Kirlia projected concern about Breloom's confrontational nature, while Cherrim came off as a bit jealous, as he had previously been the only Grass type Pokemon on my team. I assured him that it was not a replacement, although he still seemed a little clingy. I didn't mind so much, since I knew that nothing could replace Cherrim. He was the first Pokemon I caught on my own after all.

With the addition of Breloom, I had inadvertently pushed myself over the six Pokemon limit, although the absence of half my team had kept it from being immediately invoked. I decided to leave Sableye behind for the time being, her stamina being lower than some of my other team members due to the injury she had sustained when we first met. Nurse Joy offered to look after her, for which I was grateful. With my team set and my goal firmly entrenched in my mind, I departed once again for Wake's Gym.

To the surprise of both Lucas and I, Wake was waiting for us outside the Gym when we arrived. He grinned broadly at us as we approached. "Welcome back young trainers," he declared loudly as we stopped next to him. "I had a feeling you'd be back before long. Nurse Joy and the Safari Warden told me that you guys helped him out yesterday, even though you weren't doing too well yourself."

"It wasn't that big of a deal," I replied, although a smirk made itself apparent on my face. "Besides, I got a new Pokemon out of it, and we're here for a rematch."

"Are you now? Bwahaha, I like your guts kiddo, but don't forget what I told you."

"Oh don't worry; it's been on my mind since yesterday. Even though I haven't been at this for long, I have no intention of letting that get in the way of my dreams. I'll take the experience as it comes and in the meantime, I'll just do what I always do."

"Good answer. Alright then, the Wakester accepts your request for a rematch. Come on inside."

Lucas and I followed Wake into the Gym, although Lucas kept his distance from the pool this time. I snickered as I moved to the middle of the Gym, taking my place on the far end of the arena. The platform that had been damaged by Gyarados the day before had not been repaired, and still had a chunk broken off of it. Wake took up his position opposite me, grinning broadly.

"Alright then, let's make this simple," he called across to me. "This will be a one on one match, since you ran wild on the rest of my team yesterday."

"Sounds good to me," I called back, plucking Breloom's Safari Ball from my vest. Eevee licked my ear to show her support and I smiled. I tapped my Fedora for a bit of extra luck and let my ball fly.

Breloom materialized on the platform nearest me as her ball bounced back to me. At the same time, Wake tossed his Pokeball onto the opposite platform, letting loose his Floatzel. Breloom looked around the arena, almost seeming bored. She was clearly displeased that she had not gotten to settle things with Skarmory or Kirlia. Hopefully I could convince her to focus on the match at hand instead.

"Alright Breloom," I called to her, "I know you're not happy about getting beaten yesterday, but I think I know how you feel. This time will be different though, I'm not going to hold you back this time."

Although she seemed to only be half listening, Breloom turned her attention to Wake's Floatzel. However, both Floatzel and its trainer seemed intrigued by Breloom herself. "That's wild," remarked Wake. "I've never seen a Breloom like that before. You got some kind of crazy luck there kiddo. It'll take more than luck to get back at me though."

"I don't need to get lucky, I'm gonna beat you no matter what!"

"We'll see. Alright Floatzel, start this off with 'Aqua Jet'!"

I smirked. "Breloom, use 'Mach Punch'."

Floatzel tore along the surface of the pool towards Breloom, without any heed for the platforms in between. Breloom remained almost completely motionless, only slightly shifting the position of her legs. Just as Floatzel was on top of her, Breloom lashed out with each of her elastic arms. The first caught Floatzel square in the gut, stopping him dead in his tracks. The second blow came right at his head, tossing him back to the middle platform. Although momentarily stunned, Floatzel regained his balance and glared fiercely at Breloom. She responded with a rattling noise that sounds like snickering.

"Well I'll be," remarked Wake, "that Breloom is mighty fast. Not good enough though; Floatzel, Dive underwater!"

Since following Floatzel underwater was not an option, we would have to wait for it to resurface. Just like against Breloom herself the day before, the timing would have to be perfect. "Wait for it..." I said, watching Floatzel's silhouette under the water. Breloom did the same, watching her opponent swim around the bottom of the pool.

"Alright, now," called Wake, "'Aqua Tail'!"

Floatzel's silhouette blurred as she shot from the bottom of the pool straight through the surface. As he broke the surface of the water, I could just barely make out his form turning around, both tails spinning rapidly. Breloom saw him coming and turned to face him head on. The force he carried was incredible, and every ounce of it struck Breloom square in the chest. However, that was what I had been waiting for.

"Now, 'Counter'!"

The look on Wake's face as I called out was priceless; his Floatzel had gotten far too close. Breloom wrapped her rubbery arms around Floatzel's midsection and drew him in tight. Then, using the momentum from his attack and a remarkable display of her flexibility, she bent completely over backwards, carrying Floatzel with her. As a former wrestler, I'm sure Wake knew techniques like this all too well. Floatzel's head hit the concrete platform with a nasty thud, at which point Breloom released him. The impact was not without cost though, as Breloom staggered backwards a few paces from the shock.

Floatzel had taken a serious blow to the head, and slumped over onto his belly. He was still conscious, but was having a hard time getting up. I knew that Breloom couldn't take another hit like that if Floatzel got back up, so I had to keep it pinned down. Thankfully, my Pokedex had provided the answer the day before.

"Breloom, use 'Stun Spore'," I called simply.

Breloom croaked in response and shook the bulbs on the end of her tail. A thick cloud of yellow spores was released from her tail, and thoroughly coated Wake's Floatzel. The spores took effect instantly, catching Floatzel to twitch involuntarily. He continued to try and get up, but his movements were extremely limited by the paralysing spores. I was about to call out another attack to finish the job when Wake called to me instead.

"Alright, that's enough," he called, bringing out his Pokeball. "I know when I'm beat." He recalled his Floatzel and began walking around the pool towards me. "I must say, that was impressive. I wasn't kidding when I said you were talented yesterday."

"Thanks," I replied, trying not to sound smug. It wouldn't have been proper, considering he had beaten me the day before. I moved to recall Breloom, although it was quite apparent that she was not happy about not getting to deliver the finishing blow. I would have to be careful not to let her get too pent up, otherwise she might pick a fight with my other Pokemon like she tried to do with Skarmory.

I walked over to Wake and met him at the edge of the pool. Lucas joined us shortly after, once it was certain that he wasn't going to get soaked again. Wake handed me an envelope, which I wasn't sure I wanted to know where he had pulled it from. I opened it and found inside some prize money, and also the Fen Badge. It was round, and bore some resemblance in shape to Wake's mask, but depicted a mountain standing above a lake. I pinned it to the inside of my vest with the others, bringing my total to four. I was halfway there.

"You earned that," remarked Wake. "It's always good to see young trainers with a lot of potential, I hope you get the experience you need to go as far as you want to."

"I plan to, and thanks."

Without any further delay, Lucas and I departed from Pastoria Gym. According to him, the next Gym was in a city called Veilstone a ways to the north. He also pointed out a couple stops along the way he wanted to check out. We made a quick stop at the Pokemon Centre so that Breloom could get patched up, and Nurse Joy was pleased to hear I had won my rematch. We ate some lunch before departing early in the afternoon. Knowing I was halfway to my goal of participating in the League only spurred me to get a move on faster.

* * *

Lee scurried down the hallway of the sparsely populated laboratory. The Boss had summoned him, and he was not one to be kept waiting. He would only occasionally come across another scientist, and they would nod to him silently before returning to busying themselves with whatever was at hand. If he could have things his way, there would be more staff, based on the important nature of the projects they were undertaking, but the Boss was concerned with keeping a low profile. Understandable normally, but given the remoteness of this lab, intervention was unlikely.

Along the way to the Boss' chamber, Lee ran into one face he would have preferred to not see here. Of all the blundering incompetents, he considered her to be the worst. The only reason the Boss had hired her in the first place was because of her low profile amidst a moderate number of successes. However, since coming under their employ, she had yet to retrieve a single specimen or object of interest. Linda's presence here served only to irritate him.

"Were you called for as well?" asked Lee, looking over the rim of his glasses at Linda.

"I was," she replied with as much contempt. "Unlike some people around here, the Boss recognizes all the hard work I put forth."

"Effort without results is meaningless. You can't even stand up to a young girl."

"Hey, she's tough. Besides, I heard you didn't fare any better."

"It's not like I had much choice; the Safari Warden was on me the entire time. Let's not forget that said incident was your fault anyways. The girl was nice enough to tell me about all the other times you've messed up as well."

"This coming from a guy who sits in a lab all day without taking any real risks."

The bickering of these two would likely have continued indefinitely, but they ceased all chatter upon coming to the end of the hallway, where the Boss' personal office was located. They both straightened as they arrived, knowing that he would not want to listen to their quarrels. Lee was the one to grasp the handle and open the door, while Linda followed him inside. However, what they found was an empty office, devoid of the Boss who had called for them.

They looked around momentarily, but saw nothing beyond the usual contents of such an office. Cabinets full of files, a desk covered in paperwork, a flicking light that would need to be changed soon. One thing seemed askew though; a bookcase that looked like it was obviously meant to conceal the door, but the fact that it was open indicated that's where the Boss was. This was confirmed by the fact that the door was open by a hair's breadth.

Linda did not approach any further, opting to wait for the Boss to come out and address them. Lee however, was not a patient man, and moved to the door by himself. He slid it to the side and beheld what lay beyond. The room was largely empty, and very dimly lit. At the back of the room there was a single specimen tank, tubes from which ran the entire length of the far wall. The contents of the tank were blocked by the frame of a massive, broadly built man, who Lee knew to be the Boss.

Upon noticing that he had been disturbed, the Boss turned away from the tank and stormed across the vacant room. He stopped dead in front of Lee, towering no less than a foot above him. "This chamber is off limits!" he said, his gravelly voice laced with fury. "If you set foot in here again, you'll lose more than your job."

"My apologies sir," said Lee, backing away from the intimidating, larger man.

Lee backed out into the main room of the office and joined Linda, who bore a look of delight at his chastisement. The Boss shut the door behind him and replaced the sliding bookcase, before moving to stand in front of his desk. He adjusted his large, square glasses and looked down at both of the people standing before him. He took a deep breath to calm himself before addressing them.

"Now then, intrusions aside," he stated simply, "I did call you here. What do you have to report?"

Lee hesitated for a moment before speaking, still shocked by the Boss' threatening demeanour. "We have completed our research at the Pastoria Lab. The information has been brought here and the facility itself has been abandoned."

"What of the specimens there?"

"They have either been reintegrated into the wild, or brought here for further study. There is one exception; a single specimen escaped as the result of an accident." Lee shot a glare at Linda when he said this.

"Was it recovered?"

"No. The specimen in question was captured by a trainer. Incidentally, this trainer happens to be the same one that Linda has attempted to retrieve an Eevee from in the past."

"Oh? Did you attempt to procure this Eevee yourself?"

"I did not. I was in the Safari Zone at the time and the Warden was not too far away. Given your desire for secrecy, I felt it would be too risky at the time."

"Very well, but remember that Eevee's unique nature makes it vital for the evolutionary studies."

"Of course sir. If I may say though, I think I can understand why Linda has had difficulty with this trainer. She is not without capability and is fairly clever in her own right."

"Is that so? Do you know the girl's name?"

"The Pastoria Joy told me her name was Amber."

"...I see. If she is as capable as you say, then perhaps I may need additional means to procure that Eevee."

"With all due respect sir," cut in Linda, "I can still take her, I just need more power."

"Is that so? Very well, we shall see about enhancing your Pokemon. With that taken care of, how fares your other Project, Lee?"

"It's a bit of hit and miss, sir. We have found information on additional sightings, and they seem to suggest a pattern we can work with, but there yet remains a problem with the credibility of the sources."

"Given the nature of this project, credibility is almost certainly going to be an issue. Even so, I want you to start committing more resources to that project, since the Pastoria Lab projects have been completed."

"While I have no objections sir, it does not strike me as wise to commit more resources to a project that is, at best, a long shot."

"I have found that our work on Evolution and the related energies alone is reaching an insurmountable peak. Long shot or not, the secondary project may yet be necessary."

"Very well sir. Will that be all?"

"Yes, you are both dismissed. Lee, see to it that Linda's request is taken care of."

"As you wish, sir."

Without any further words, Lee and Linda departed from their Boss' office. He closed the door behind them. He sighed deeply and walked around his desk, seating himself in the large chair there. He rustled a few stacks of paper, and glanced off to the side. Caught in his gaze was a frame containing a photograph. Depicted therein was himself, standing next to a woman much smaller than himself. Smaller still, a young girl sat atop his broad shoulders, and all three of them were smiling widely. He contemplated the photo for a moment, before laying it face down on his desk and returning to his paperwork.

**Author's Notes: **That took a while to get together, but I can't really blame myself, considering that school and work were inhibiting factors. Hopefully now that the semester has ended I can get back to regular updates for a while. As before, I ask anyone reviewing this story to keep their theories about characters meant to be a mystery to themselves for the sake of not spoiling for other readers who may not be that far along. Thanks for sticking with me readers.


End file.
